Cosponsors Double, Senate Support Continues to Grow for First Step Act
WASHINGTON – Nearly a
quarter of the United States Senate has now signed on to cosponsor the new First
Step Act. Twelve Republican and twelve Democratic
senators are leading the way on a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reduce
crime and reform America’s criminal justice system.
Since
yesterday, twelve senators have cosponsored the legislation. They include Republican
Senators Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Susan Collins (R-Maine),
Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) as well
as Democratic Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Doug Jones (D-Ala.), Tammy
Duckworth (D-Ill.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and
Angus King (I-Maine).
The
new First Step Act is backed by President Trump and endorsed by a number
of law enforcement groups, including the nation’s largest police group.
It’s also
now supported by 172 former federal prosecutors, including two
former Republican U.S. attorneys general, two former deputy attorneys general
and a former director of the FBI. A broad coalition of conservative,
progressive, and faith groups also support the bill.
The
bill has also been endorsed by the oft-divergent editorial boards of the New
York Times and the Wall Street Journal,
as well as by the editorial board of the Houston
Chronicle.
More
information on the legislation can be found here:
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