MAJOR CIVIL RIGHTS GROUPS TO LEADER SCHUMER: HONOR YOUR PROMISE AND PASS THE EQUAL ACT NOW

Bipartisan Legislation Would End Racially Unjust Sentencing Disparity  

As the Senate Gavels into Lame Duck Session, Time is Running Out for Senator Schumer to Keep Pledge 

Groups Urge Passage of Legislation Led by Incoming House Democratic Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Sen. Cory Booker, and GOP Counterparts  

EQUAL ACT CURRENTLY IN HOUSE NDAA 

 (NEW YORK, NY)—Today, key civil rights groups and leaders in the Black community in New York and nationally are calling on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to keep his pledge to pass the EQUAL Act, a bipartisan bill that eliminates the 18:1 powder vs. crack cocaine sentencing disparity. With the midterms concluded and only a few weeks left in Congress this year, groups are urging Leader Schumer to honor his promise to call the bill for a vote and end one of the worst vestiges of injustice in America's drug policy.  

 Several options remain for passage, including in the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act. Currently the EQUAL Act is in the House NDAA, as agreed to by Republican and Democratic leadership.  

 In May, Leader Schumer held a press conference in front of the courthouse in New York City. Standing with community leaders and prosecutors, Schumer promised the people of New York and this country that he would make the EQUAL Act a priority, citing his goal to “balance the scales of justice." The coalition of state and national groups that have pushed leadership to act for over two years is now pushing for delivery on that promise. Republicans and Democrats united in the House last fall to pass the measure 361-66, one of the few bipartisan victories in the chamber. This September, many leading New York civil rights groups signed a letter urging the Senate Leader to take action.  

 Schumer encouraged advocates over the last year to secure ten Republicans to co-sponsor the EQUAL Act to demonstrate a filibuster-proof majority. To date, there are 11.  

Eric Adams, Mayor, New York City 

“Safety and justice go hand in hand, and the EQUAL Act of 2021 would correct a longstanding injustice that has devastated Black and Brown communities across the country. The sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine offenses is one of the worst vestiges of the war on drugs, and I’m pleased to join members of New York’s congressional delegation, civil rights groups, and law enforcement organizations in supporting this critical piece of legislation.”

Mayor Adams is a longtime endorser of this bill, coming out in support earlier this year.   

Dr Hazel Dukes, President, NAACP New York State Conference:  

“Earlier this year, Senate Majority Leader Schumer stood with us and made an important pledge to the people of New York and this country, to do his part to end one of the last, most racially pernicious remnants of the so-called “War on Drugs” by passing the EQUAL Act, a bipartisan sentencing reform that has all the support it needs to pass – now.  Nobody knows better than Black New Yorkers just how destructive the War on Drugs has been for communities of color, and police and prosecutors maintain they need this bill to reestablish trust with our community to better solve violent crimes. I agree. I hope to see action from the leader – by any legislative means necessary – this month. We have his back. I hope and have faith he has ours.”  

Marc H. Morial, President and CEO, National Urban League 

“The events of the last few years have pulled back the curtain to reveal the systemic racism in the nation’s criminal justice process, and no aspect of that process is more emblematic of that racism than the crack-powder cocaine sentencing disparity.  Implemented without scientific basis, it has achieved no defensible outcomes. We cannot achieve the promise of an equitable and inclusive nation unless we are willing to confront and rectify systemic inequality.  The EQUAL Act is essential to eliminating a racist relic from the War on Drugs and we urge Leader Schumer to honor his commitment and advance the bill to the Senate floor.”   

Inimai Chettiar, Federal Director, Justice Action Network: 

“As a New Yorker, I was proud to stand with Leader Schumer and civil rights advocates to call for passage of the EQUAL Act, a critical racial justice and public safety bill. I was heartened to see Leader Schumer's passion that day, and every time we've discussed the EQUAL Act with him and his team. Now, with the clock ticking, we hope he will follow through and add his muscle as Majority Leader toward getting this bill across the finish line."  

Janos Marton, Vice President for Political Strategy, Dream.Org 

“Since becoming the Senate Majority Leader, Senator Schumer has been presented with very few pieces of legislation that have passed the House with as much bipartisan support as the EQUAL Act. In such divided times, something that can unify both wings of Congress cannot be dismissed or allowed to die on the vine, especially when so many thousands of lives depend on it. The EQUAL Act is a long overdue remedy to a War on Drugs that everyone agrees has failed this country. And yet, even though voters largely rejected ‘tough on crime’ campaign rhetoric, the incoming House Majority has already expressed hostility to the popular criminal justice reforms that advanced under President Trump. That means our chance is right now. This is not a pie in the sky bill. It has already passed the House, has significant Republican support in the Senate, and is popular with voters. Keeping families divided and futures in jeopardy because of a law we know isn’t fair and doesn’t work is unjustifiable. That is why Senator Schumer, like so many others, committed to passing this legislation, and it is why we cannot let him forget this promise.” 

Led in the Senate by Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Rob Portman (R-OH) and Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL), the EQUAL Act is co-sponsored by Majority Leader Schumer and Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Rand Paul (R-KY), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Chis Coons (D-DE), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Richard Burr (R-NC), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Roy Blunt (R-MO), and Ed Markey (D-MA). Additionally, the EQUAL Act has support from law enforcement groups, civil rights organizations, faith-based groups, and directly impacted individuals and their families.