TODAY: Justice Action Network Stands with Majority Leader Schumer as He Commits to a Floor Vote on the Bipartisan EQUAL Act

Federal Bill to End Racially Unjust Sentencing Disparity Has Clear Path to Senate Passage with 11 Republicans as Cosponsors, Advocates Urge Vote Before August Recess

EQUAL Act is Strongly Supported by Law Enforcement and Civil Rights Advocates, Conservatives and Progressives 

NEW YORK - Today, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), holding an “EQUAL Act Now” sign, headlined a press conference in New York City in support of the EQUAL Act, federal legislation to end one of the worst vestiges of injustice in America's drug policy. Surrounded by New York civil rights, law enforcement and criminal justice reform groups, as well as the bipartisan Justice Action Network, the Majority Leader called the EQUAL Act a "top priority," and committed to bringing the bill up for a floor vote, “as soon as possible.” Advocates including Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark and NAACP New York Conference President Dr. Hazel Dukes joined Justice Action Network’s Inimai Chettiar in clearly articulating the necessity of a vote before August recess.

The EQUAL Act would finally and fully eliminate the federal sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine, a relic of the failed “War on Drugs,” which has devastated communities of color and poor neighborhoods in New York and across the country. Bipartisan support for the legislation has surged past a filibuster-proof majority in the U.S. Senate, with 11 Republican Senators and 11 Democratic Senators signed on as cosponsors. The EQUAL Act previously passed the House of Representatives in September 2021, with an overwhelming, bipartisan vote of 361 to 66.

Inimai Chettiar, Federal Director of Justice Action Network, the country’s largest organization dedicated to bipartisan criminal justice reform, spoke at the press conference with Senator Schumer and issued the following statement:

“As a proud New Yorker, it was an honor to stand today with the Senate Majority Leader and so many fellow advocates devoted to making our justice system fairer and safer by passing the EQUAL Act. This bill will right a wrong that has devastated poor and black communities, particularly here in New York, for decades.  

“Last year, Leader Schumer asked us to bring him ten Republican votes for the EQUAL Act. We brought him eleven—a filibuster-proof majority with room to spare. And when law enforcement leaders and criminal justice reform advocates are all calling for passage of a piece of legislation that has the votes, we can’t let this moment pass us by. It’s time to give this bill a vote on the floor now, before the August recess.”

In April, leading law enforcement, faith-based, and civil rights organizations sent a letter to Senate leadership calling for a floor vote for the bill.  

In March, national polling of likely midterm voters revealed that support for the bill exceeds 70% across the ideological spectrum, with majorities of Republican and strong conservative voters voicing support. 

In February, leading New York civil rights and criminal justice organizations sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Schumer pushing for the EQUAL Act’s passage in the Senate. 

In the U.S. Senate, cosponsors of the EQUAL Act include Majority Leader Schumer, Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Rob Portman (R-OH), Rand Paul (R-KY), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Susan Collins (R-ME), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Chris Coons (D-DE), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Richard Burr (R-NC), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Roy Blunt, (R-MO), and Ed Markey (D-MA). In the House, the legislation is led by Representatives Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Kelly Armstrong (R-ND). 

This landmark legislation has support from groups across the political spectrum, including the National District Attorneys Association, Major Cities Chiefs Association, Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, American Civil Liberties Union, Americans for Tax Reform, Innocence Project, Center for American Progress, Prison Fellowship, Dream Corps JUSTICE, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Due Process Institute, Drug Policy Alliance, Americans for Prosperity, National Legal Aid & Defender Association, FAMM, Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition, Digital Liberty, Faith and Freedom Coalition, ALEC Action, R Street Institute, National Association for Public Defense, Sentencing Project, Fair Trials, FreedomWorks, Jesuit Conference, Black Public Defender Association, Federal Public and Community Defenders, Taxpayers Protection Alliance, and Tzedek Association.