Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise in strong support of the FIRST STEP Act. I supported this bipartisan bill in committee because it will help more ex-offenders reenter the workforce. It will reduce recidivism. The FIRST STEP Act is just a first step in fixing our criminal justice system. We all realize there is a lot more to do and a lot more we must do, but this is an important start. I would remind everyone that the bill allows prisoners to earn an additional 7 days off their sentence each year they demonstrate good behavior. It funds important job training, drug treatment, and education services. It prohibits the shackling of pregnant women and improves compassionate release. These are all very good provisions. It will not only reduce recidivism; it will enhance the safety of our communities by making sure folks have the ability to enter drug treatment, enter job training, and avail themselves of educational services. These are all commonsense ideas. I hope that everyone will support this legislation. I want to thank, particularly, my colleague Hakeem Jeffries for his strong leadership in these difficult negotiations, and I urge my colleagues to vote for the FIRST STEP and then commit themselves to continuing to build on this, because there is much more work to do in sentencing reform and criminal justice reform broadly.”