Political Quotes

“I rise in support of the FIRST STEP Act. This legislation, as the title says, is an important first step toward desperately needed criminal justice reform. I thank Senators Durbin, Grassley, and Lee, as well as my good friend and colleague, Senator Cory Booker, for advancing this bipartisan compromise. I want to particularly recognize the junior Senator from New Jersey, who has been relentless in his efforts to bring moral urgency to this issue, and I think we can thank Senator Booker for his passion and his devotion to justice. The need for criminal justice reform was an issue constituents consistently and frequently raised with me as I crisscrossed New Jersey over the past year. From Woodbury to Paterson, to Newark, and everywhere in between, I heard from faith leaders calling for solutions to a mass incarceration crisis that has disproportionately torn apart communities of color. Indeed, the NAACP found that, nationally, African Americans and Hispanics make up approximately 32 percent of the U.S. population, but they represented 56 percent of all incarcerated people in 2015. I also heard from young people pushing for drug policy reform so fewer students charged with marijuana offenses lose access to Federal financial aid.…”