TRUMP CLEMENCIES MEANS SENATE GOP HAS THE COVER IT NEEDS TO PASS BIPARTISAN PPP SECOND CHANCE ACT, SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS WITH RECORDS

Holly Harris: "Voters support bipartisan criminal justice reform, and it is a top issue for them as they cast their ballots. Less than two weeks from Election Day, I wouldn’t want to be the lawmaker who stands in the way” 

(Washington, D.C.) – Please credit the following statement to Holly Harris, President and Executive Director of Justice Action Network: 

“We were pleased to see the President recognize the unfair sentences these men and women endured, and we are grateful to see him grant clemency and a second chance to these individuals last night. But today, as they begin the process of reentering their communities, they face new struggles; with criminal records, they will encounter barriers to employment, housing, education, and so much more. 

There is a bipartisan bill on the table right now, already passed by the House, that would remove one of these obstacles. The PPP Second Chance Act, with influential sponsors Republican Senator Rob Portman and Democratic Senator Ben Cardin, would allow access to PPP funds to small business owners with records, a full third of all the small business owners in this country. The Administration made progress on this issue earlier in the year, and polling shows the vast majority of voters on both sides of the aisle support this fix. We urge Congress to include the PPP Second Chance Act in their COVID relief package, as well as other emergency criminal justice measures that states across the country have already employed.

Voters support bipartisan criminal justice reform, and it is a top issue for them as they cast their ballots. Less than two weeks from Election Day, I wouldn’t want to be the lawmaker who stands in the way.”