“The Senate passed a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill on Tuesday night, handing a significant victory to President Trump and senators who lobbied to advance the legislation before the end of the year,” The Hill reports.
The bill, dubbed the FIRST STEP Act, is “aimed at reducing recidivism with a handful of changes to sentencing laws and mandatory minimum prison sentences,” and has been a priority for the Trump Administration (and a few high-profile celebrities) for some time.
America is the greatest Country in the world and my job is to fight for ALL citizens, even those who have made mistakes. Congratulations to the Senate on the bi-partisan passing of a historic Criminal Justice Reform Bill….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2018
In particular, it has been a focal point for White House adviser and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who wrote in an op-ed last month about the goal to reduce public spending and recidivism.
The 12 senators who voted against the bill are all Republicans. Sen, Tom Cotton (R-AR) led the opposition to the bill, arguing in particular that it is soft on drug crime.
The bill still needs to pass in the House of Representatives before reaching the president’s desk for final signage into law.
