National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2019

Support the H.R. 1714, the Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act, which would amend the 1033 program to: Prohibit the transfer of military weapons and equipment that are unnecessary and inappropriate for local policing. Prohibited items would include grenades, mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles (MRAPs), armored or weaponized drones, combat configured aircraft, silencers, and long range acoustic devises (LRADs). This bill would also prohibit the future transfer of items that are currently banned from the 1033 program; Eliminate incentives for the inappropriate use of military weapons and equipment: LEAs would be required to have training and give community notice before participating in the 1033 program. LEAs would also have to indicate how they plan to use 1033 property; and Require oversight and transparency of the 1033 program: Annual reporting from the Department of Defense to Congress would be required. All controlled equipment transferred must be accounted for and DOD must make details of 1033 transfers publicly available Oppose the private prison industry Support HR 494, the Tiffany Joslyn Juvenile Accountability Block Grant Program Reauthorization Act of 2019, which reauthorizes the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant program Support S. 1074 / HR 2168, the REAL Act, legislation to restore PELL grants to incarcerated people Support the inclusion of the Democracy Restoration Act, which would re-enfranchise ex-felony offenders, in the final version of HR 1 Support $100 million for the RExO workforce development program for individuals with criminal records at the Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration - a $7 million increase over FY19 funding Support the House Judiciary Committee ending the call record program as defined in Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act and making public additional information related to nondiscrimination procedures, First Amendment protections, large-scale protection, notice in criminal proceedings, and other issues so that the public can debate more widespread reforms Support full funding of the juvenile justice programs in FY 2020 Support increased federal funding for innocence and forensic science programs Support Sentencing Retroactivity; support the elimination of all mandatory minimum sentences; support the establishment of a Second Look process that would allow anyone who has served 10 years or more to apply for resentencing before a decision-making body; support a further limitation on life without parole; support the elimination of juvenile life without parole; the expansion and increase in penalties for crimes involving synthetic drugs or increase mandatory minimums for fentanyl distribution make the flawed assumption that we can enforce and incarcerate our way out of the overdose crisis; support fixing the trial penalty (The trial penalty refers to the substantial difference between the sentence offered in a plea offer prior to trial versus the sentence a defendant receives after trial. This penalty is now so severe and pervasive that it has virtually eliminated the constitutional right to a trial); support reforms that should be considered include requiring meaningful overt acts to be held liable as a co-conspirator, support criminal sanction fees and fines do not exacerbate poverty by establishing national standards that enforce the Supreme Courts requirement that fines and fees account for a defendants ability to pay; support oversight and regulation of the use of confidential informants; support a close examination of supervision practices and sex and other public conviction registries; support the decriminalization of migration Support a bill to provide colleges and universities with guidance and recommendations on the removal of criminal and juvenile justice questions from their initial application for admissions process. Support comprehensive sentencing reform; support HR 1047 / S 399 Support meaningful gun violence prevention measures; support HR 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, support S. 42, the Background Check Expansion Act. Support HR 1112, the Extend Background Check Length. Support a ban military-style semi-automatic assault guns and military high capacity ammunition clips. Support tough new criminal penalties for straw purchasers and gun traffickers. Support a ban on suspects on the terror watch list from purchasing firearms. Support providing funding for the Center for Disease Control to research gun violence as a major public health issue. Support incentivizing and assisting states in improving their overall reporting to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Support maintaining current law requiring background checks and permits for gun silencers. Support allowing states to maintain and enforce their own concealed carry laws. Support requiring microstamping or ballistic fingerprinting of all new firearms and ammunition sold in the U.S. Support a repeal of all state stand your ground laws, restoring the use of deadly force as a last resort. Support encouraging states and local jurisdictions to utilize their buyer power to create incentives for firearm manufacturers to employ countermarketing strategies to ensure that their retailers are using all available procedures to prevent illegal firearms diversion. Support requiring sensitivity training of all law enforcement agents and independent reviews of the deadly use of force. Support HR 125 / S. 1938, the Police Training and Independent Review Act, which authorizes the U.S. Department of Justice to provide grants to States that: (a.) require training for law enforcement officers on fair and impartial policing and (b.) have enacted statutes that require an independent investigation and prosecution in cases where a law enforcement officers use of deadly force resulted in a death or injury. Support the making lynching a hate crime, support HR 35 / S488 Support a prohibition on potential employers requiring potential employees to state whether they have been convicted of a crime on the initial job application; support HR 1076 / S 387 Support the re-enfranchisement of ex-felony offenders; support HR1 & HR 196 Support language in the Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations bill to clarify that the Department of Justice enforce settlements and consent decrees made under previous administrations and that the Department does not delay any further implementation of the Death In Custody Reporting Act Support language in the Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations bill to clarify that the Department of Justice enforce settlements and consent decrees made under previous administrations; that the Department does not delay any further implementation of the Death In Custody Reporting Act; full funding for the Second Chance Act; increase funding for the Comprehensive Opioid assisted treatment; and expand access to the medication-assisted treatment. Oppose funding for the Project Safe Neighborhoods program; the COPS hiring program; the Byrne-JAG program; and the Drug Enforcement Administration / Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force program Oppose forced arbitration Support HR 1585, a bill to reauthorize and strengthen the Violence Against Women Act, and oppose any weakening amendments Support lifting the budget caps to increase funding above sequestration levels (lower than FY19 funding) that are in place now for FY20, and to provide a robust FY20 funding allotment to the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations bill that supports important criminal justice reform programs including the Violence Against Women Office, the COPS office, and the Second Chance Act Support that the Department of Justice, when implementing the First Step Act of 2018, must be committed to implementing the bill in a manner consistent with the text of the statute and Congressional intent. Therefore, we urge the Department to ensure that: (1) An appropriate non-partisan non-profit host organization is selected to appoint and convene the members of the Independent Review Committee as required by the statute; (2) Neither the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) security classification system nor the current version of PCRA is adopted as a substitute for the new Risk and Needs Assessment System required by the statute; and (3) The Bureau of Prisons immediately begins providing rehabilitative programming Support the Police Exercising Adequate Care With Everyone (PEACE) Act of 2019. This legislation would change the use of force standard from reasonable to necessary. Support HR 207, the Stop the Violence Act. HR 207 would require the Secretary of HHS to select 10 existing violence prevention programs to receive federal dollars in the form of a grant. These organizations provide wraparound services for victims of violent crime while they are recovering from their injuries. Support S. 1337 / HR 2353 ,the Promoting Reentry Through Education in Prisons (PREP) Act. The legislation would authorize and fund the prison education reforms started by the Obama Administration, as well as expand on those reforms to ensure equitable access to education programs across all as federal prisons. The bill would also provide resources to state departments of corrections as those agencies expand prison education opportunities, and it would address eligible incarcerated veterans access to education benefits. Support S. 1338 / HR 2563 , the Beyond the Box for Higher Education Act, which would remove barriers to higher education for individuals with criminal or juvenile justice histories Support S. 1557 / HR 2865, the Reverse Mass Incarceration bill , which incentivizes states to decrease their levels of incarceration. Specifically, states that reduce their prison population by 7% over 3 years without substantial increase in the overall crime rate would be eligible for grants disbursed by the Department of Justice. Support HR 1456, the Marijuana Justice Act is groundbreaking legislation that would end the federal marijuana prohibition AND provide restorative justice for the communities that have been impacted the most by mass criminalization and over-incarceration. Support 1455, the REFER (Restricting Excessive Federal Enforcement and Regulations of Cannabis) Act is legislation that would prevent federal agencies from using tax payer funds to interfere in state and local cannabis laws. It would also ban the use of federal funding by any agency to intrude in states and local municipalities that have updated their laws regarding cannabis use, possession, cultivation and distribution. Support H Res. 163, the REPSECT (Realizing Equitable & Sustainable Participation in Emerging Cannabis Trades) Resolution will help communities of color benefit from and expand their foothold in the cannabis industry. Support a moratorium on law enforcement use of facial recognition technology Support H.R. 1949, which addresses the use of mandatory minimum sentences on all children in the federal criminal justice system. Under this measure, judges will consider how children are different from adult offenders prior to sentencing and will be allowed to depart up to 35 percent away from the otherwise applicable mandatory minimum sentence. Support H.R. 1950 - also known as Saras Law - which will allow judges to depart from any mandatory minimum sentence or suspend any portion of a sentence when a child has committed a crime against someone who has previously sex trafficked or sexually abused them. Support H.R. 1951, which will allow children sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for crimes committed before their 18th birthday to petition the original sentencing court for review of their sentence after they have served 20 years of their sentence. Support Amendments to Increase Juvenile Justice Funding in H.R. 3055, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2020. Support S. 2043 / HR 3545, the Khalid Jabara and Heather Heyer NO HATE Act which would promote more accurate hate crime data collection and assist hate crime victims and their communities. Support S. 1764, the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act of 2019 which affirms the Federal Communications Commissions (FCC) authority to address a market failure to protect family, clergy and counsel who communicate with incarcerated people. Oppose S.1622 - Stopping Overdoses of Fentanyl Analogues Act (SOFA) because rather than focusing resources on reducing overdose deaths from synthetic drugs, the bill would grant the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) broad authority within the scheduling process, increase sentences, and expose many more individuals to harsh penalties, including mandatory minimum sentences. Support S 2434, the National Criminal Justice Act which would create a national commission with an 18-month timeline to examine and review the myriad of problems that exist in our current criminal justice system. Support S. 2227 / H.R. 3884, the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act which will de-schedule marijuana and fund social equity programs for individuals and communities most harmed by the war on drugs. The bill would also provide a process for courts to expunge marijuana convictions and re-sentence people with marijuana convictions and establish that no person will be denied federal benefits on the basis of use or possession of marijuana. The bill prohibits immigration penalties based on marijuana. Finally, the bill creates a Cannabis Opportunity Trust Fund from federal marijuana tax revenue that will establish (1) the Community Reinvestment Grant Program to fund community organizations providing services in communities most harmed by the war on drugs; (2) the Cannabis Opportunity Program to fund Small Business Administration loans to support socially and economically disadvantaged individuals who own marijuana businesses; and (3) the Equitable Licensing Grant Program to provide jurisdictions with funds to develop and implement equitable marijuana licensing programs targeting individuals most adversely impacted by the war on drugs Support the Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal Act (FAIR Act), H.R.1423 / S. 610, legislation which would prevent companies from forcing individuals to give up their day in court and instead use the secretive, business-controlled process of arbitration for resolving disputes. Support equity and accountability in the criminal-legal system; support a restorative system of justice; and support rebuilding communities. Support HR / S ,the Eliminating Discrimination and Creating Corridors to Expand Student Success (Ed ACCESS) Act of 2019, which would remove the lifetime ban on the American Opportunity Tax Credit (HOPE Scholarship Tax Credit) for individuals convicted of a drug felony Support S. 2355, the End Racial and Religious Profiling Act, which would define and prohibit racial and religious profiling, enforceable by declaratory or injunctive relief Support HR 4018, which is a technical fix that simply gives good time credit to eligible individuals of the Elderly Home Detention Pilot Program of the First Step Act Support S2043 / HR 3545, the NO HATE Act, which would improve hate crime statistics and promote a better response to hate crime within our communities Support S. 2146 / HR 3795, the Second Look Act, which would allow judges to consider petitions for sentence reductions after a person has served at least 10 years. To grant release, the court must find that the person is not a danger to public safety and demonstrates readiness for reentry, and that the interests of justice warrant a sentence modification. Petitioners who are 50 or older would have a rebuttable presumption of release Support HR 4584, the Financial Aid Fairness for Students Act, or FAFSA, which rescinds current law delaying or denying federal financial aid to students convicted of drug offenses Oppose nomination of Steven Menashi to the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Oppose the judicial nomination of anyone who refuses to endorse the Supreme Courts ruling in Brown v. Board of Education Support HR 4022, HR 4052 and S 2390, all of which would abolish the federal death penalty.