U.S. Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) on Tuesday voiced his support for President Donald Trump’s ‘improved version’ of the First Step Act, the criminal justice reform legislation that the White House has been attempting to push through before the end of the year.
Perdue, a close ally of the president, submitted a pair of suggestions that have been incorporated to the legislation as it stands. Those are as follows:
- Removes the ability of judges to unilaterally make offenders with serious criminal records eligible for reduced sentences
- Ensures serious violent offenders cannot take advantage of time credits toward pre-release custody
The bipartisan legislation, long stalled Washington D.C., appears to be moving forward as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Tuesday agreed to bring it to the Senate floor as soon as this week. The GOP has been divided on the issue, but with Trump’s endorsement and a push from some of his top Senate allies, (including Perdue), supporters hope that the revised bill can pass before the year is out.
The legislation mirrors much of what Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal has helped institute here in the Peach State, expanding programs meant to get more non-violent inmates out of prison and into alternative programs in a bid to decrease recidivism rates. It also reduces certain mandatory sentencing on drug crimes, and gives judges more leeway in how the dole out punishments. Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner has made criminal justice reform a priority in his role as a senior adviser in the administration.
Critics, most prominently among them Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), have accused the bill of having “major problems” and have openly worried that it could release violent criminals onto the streets. That debate will surely heat up as the bill reaches the Senate floor, with a potential partial government shutdown looming on December 21st.
Said Perdue on the bill and his support:
“The First Step Act is a bipartisan solution that will improve our criminal justice system at the federal level. After working closely with the Trump Administration, we were able to address several concerns that I have had with certain provisions. For years, Georgia has been leading the nation in reducing recidivism, providing drug rehabilitation, and increasing job training opportunities in our state prison system. These efforts are clearly paying dividends in our state, and we now have an opportunity to make similar changes at the federal level. The improved First Step Act will help make our federal prison system fair to all, while still providing severe deterrents to criminal behavior. President Trump and Chairman Grassley deserve a great deal of credit for their work to bring equity and reason to our justice system, along with Congressman Doug Collins who spearheaded the effort in the U.S. House of Representatives.”
