STATEMENT ON SENATE’S PROPOSED “SKINNY” RELIEF BILLS

Justice Action Network: Senate GOP Proposal Leaves Millions of Americans Without Economic, Health Relief & Ignores Law Enforcement Challenges – When 75% of Voters Want a Broad COVID-19 Relief Bill

Please credit the following statement to Holly Harris, President and Executive Director of Justice Action Network, the country’s largest organization focused on bipartisan criminal justice reform legislation and advocacy at the federal and state level:

“It appears the Senate is moving forward with ‘skinny’ relief legislation that Beltway insiders are calling ‘messaging bills,’ since everyone knows they have no hopes of passing. Unfortunately, the message Senate Republicans are actually sending with this exercise in futility is they are happy to ignore the 75% of Americans who want relief now.

“The Senate’s proposed PPP language continues to shut out people with criminal records, a full one-third of the small business owners in this country. A bipartisan bill, sponsored by Senators Rob Portman and Ben Cardin, would have addressed this issue and leveled the playing field for all small business owners. The House passed it, and the Senate ignored it, effectively denying relief to countless Americans who turned their lives around, started their own businesses, and became productive citizens.

“And during an election cycle when Senate Republicans are doubling down on ‘law and order,’ the unfortunate irony is their ‘skinny’ bill fails to support state and local law enforcement. In Senate Republicans’ home states, justice system first responders are calling out for federal resources to fight the spread of COVID-19 in prisons and jails, among corrections staff, and into local communities. These are the people on the front lines of the pandemic, burning the candle at both ends to protect public health and public safety with diminishing resources. 

“To put it bluntly, the Senate ‘skinny’ relief proposal is a big, fat mistake: it’s bad for the economy, bad for public safety, and bad politics.

“But the fight’s not over. Leader McConnell made clear that if the White House and Speaker Pelosi come up with a bipartisan bill, he will consider it. We urge negotiators to stay at the table and hammer out a deal that gets relief to those who need it the most. If lawmakers fail to deliver to the American people during this crisis, then lawmakers shouldn’t be surprised on Election Day when voters return the favor.”