A resolution designating April 2017 as "Second Chance Month".

Oppose HR 620, the ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017 Support an individual with a proven track record in aggressively pursuing the civil and rights and liberties of all people being nominated to the position of Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Support faster, more robust investigations into possible hate crimes Support programs to end human slavery and trafficking Support funding for Juvenile Justice programs in Fy18 Support funding in FY2018 for federal innocence and forensic science programs Support the Byrne JAG program Support the Smart on Crime Initiative Support H.R. 1809 / S. 860, reauthorizing the JJDPA Support S. 573 / H.R. 1886 the National Criminal Justice Commission Act Support HR 1437, the No Money Bail Act Support S. 662 / H.R.1566, to provide incentives for hate crime reporting, grants for State-run hate crime hotlines, a Federal private right of action for victims of hate crimes, and additional penalties for individuals convicted under the Matthew Shephard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Support the Police Training and Independent Review Act of 2017 (S. 814 / H.R. 1870). Support the End Racial and Religious Profilinng / End Racial Profiling Act S. 411 / H.R. 1498 Support the CAM TIP Act, H.R. 124 Oppose HR 985, the Fairness in Class Action Litigation and Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency Act of 2017. Support an increase in law enforcement integrity and trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. Support national uniform standards for use of force by law enforcement Support move to eliminate racially disparate prosecution. Support requirement of video surveillance of all law enforcement interactions with civilians Support the establishment of independent and effective community civilian review boards to review police activity Support sentencing reform, especially for non-violent offenders Oppose all mandatory minimum sentences Support abolition of the federal death penalty Support the "Youth Promise Act" Oppose the federal mandate that calls for driver's licenses of all individuals convicted of any drug offense to be suspended for a minimum of 6 month Support full federal funding for the Violence Against Women Act, the Victims of Crime Act, and the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act Support the Due Process Act (Civil Asset Reform) HR 1795 Support raising the expungement rate of non-violent drug offenders from age 21 / Support HR 2617 Support resolution declaring April, 2017, to be Second Chance Month / Support S Res 129 / Support H Res 281 Support funding for several issues, including implicit bias and other training, data collection and reform, and CRT and COPS police reform efforts in the FY18 budget Oppose HR 115, mandating additional death penalty penalties for killing or ambushing a police officer Oppose HR 1038 / HR 1039, the Probation Officer Protection Act as it gives broad arrest authority; it is unnecessary; it would be dangerous; it would inhibit successful reentry; and there are alternatives. Support the Reverse Incarceration Act, by Senator Booker / Support S 1458 Oppose HR 2851, the Stop the Importation and Trafficking of Synthetic Analogues Act (SISTA) of 2017 Oppose H.R. 3003, the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act which would go after localities with limited detainer policies (aimed at complying with the Constitution), sanctuary city policies and community trust policies by threatening to take away millions of dollars in federal funding for law enforcement. Oppose H.R. 3004, Kates Law would expand the governments ability to prosecute people for illegal reentry in to the U.S. and heighten the penalties in those cases. This bill would further Attorney General Sessions goals of criminalizing all immigrants and expanding mass incarceration. Support criminal justice legislative reforms aimed at meaningfully addressing the primary drivers of unwarranted racial disparities, prison overcrowding, harsh sentences and unsustainable costs Support reforms of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to make it more respective of basic civil rights and civil liberties Oppose HR 38 / S 446, the (Constitutional) Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 Oppose S 59 / HR 367, the Hearing Protection Act of 2017 Support H. Res. 285, a resolution expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress and the President should empower the creation of police and community alliances designed to enhance and improve communication and collaboration between members of the law enforcement community and the public they serve. Support HR 2899, the Second Chance Reauthorization Support S 1458, the Reverse Mass Incarceration Act. Oppose HR 115, expanding aggravating factors when considering the death penalty. Oppose HR 1215, Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Limitations. Oppose nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the US Supreme Court Oppose changing the rules of the US Senate to enable the confirmation of a US Supreme Court Justice by a simple majority Oppose the nomination of Eric Dreiband to serve as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Support meaningful asset forfeiture reform to counter statements made 7-15 by AG Sessions Oppose President Trumps comments encouraging use of force against community members by law enforcement Support the establishment of a separate working group or task force to address hate violence and bias-motivated incidents in the United States, rather than embedding these issues into a subcommittee under the Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety which is excessively focused on criminal activity of immigrants and people of color Support the restoration of funding cuts to key civil rights office budgets. Oppose policies that undermine faith, trust, and relationships with communities of color such as the reversal of policies to reform our justice system and the return to the failed policies of the war on drugs, limitations on consent decrees, demanding local law enforcement enforce immigration law, threatening funding for sanctuary cities, mass deportation and targeting of immigrants, proposed defunding of Planned Parenthood, support for a voter ID law ruled intentionally racially discriminatory, the formation of an election integrity task force that appears designed to promote voter suppression, the signing of an executive order that endorses discrimination under the guise of religious liberty, the withdrawal of guidance clarifying Title IX protections for transgender students, barring transgender individuals from serving in our Armed Forces, and the appointment of unqualified or inexperienced officials who appear bent on retreating from statutory civil and human rights agency priorities Support the creation of a strategic plan to rebuild relationships and trust with communities that have been harmed by these actions, including providing clarity regarding the role of law enforcement in interactions with community members Support a consistent and clear message from the Department of Justice and the entire executive branch that a bias-motivated attack on any individual because of who they are is unacceptable Support the US Department of Justice hosting host periodic interagency hate crime meetings - which should include members of the hate crime coalition - to promote cross-agency collaboration and to address prevention of and response to hate violence. This initiative - involving lead agencies including Department of Education, Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) - would continue the coordinated interagency effort that had been hosted by the Obama White House Domestic Policy Council Support the creation of a website, in close collaboration with law enforcement officials and the civil rights community- similar to the extraordinarily helpful www.stopbullying.gov - to serve as a one-stop portal for the general public, law enforcement officials, educators, public officials, media and other key stakeholders. The new website, should aggregate federal resources about effective hate crime laws, prevention programs, best police policies and procedures and community awareness-building practices, victim service resources, law enforcement training initiatives, and help in identifying agency contacts that can assist in ancillary issues arising from hate crimes (such as immigration issues and security for houses of worship). Support DoJ and all public officials using their bully pulpit to call out attacks on individuals because of who they are at every opportunity. The Department must send loud, clear, and consistent messages that violent bigotry is unacceptable - and ensure that the FBI and the Civil Rights Division will enforce federal law and vigorously investigate and prosecute hate crimes. The Attorney General and other leaders in the Administration must prioritize hate crimes investigations and prosecutions, and speak to communities that need support in the aftermath of hate crimes. Support DoJ incentivizing and encouraging state and local law enforcement agencies to more comprehensively collect and report hate crimes data to the FBI, with special attention devoted to large underreporting law enforcement agencies that either have not participated in the HCSA program at all or have incorrectly reported zero hate crimes. To create incentives for participation in the FBIs HCSA data collection program, certain Department of Justice funds should only be made available to agencies that are demonstrating credible participation in the HCSA program. Whether a specific state or local law enforcement agency is participating in the HCSA program should be included in the rating and scoring criteria as applications for Justice Department funding are considered Support the administration and DoJ taking steps to ensure that it is efficient and safe for all victims of hate crimes to contact the police. Support DoJ providing clarity on the role of local law enforcement in responding to 911 calls and issuing clear guidance stating that local law enforcement will not enforce federal immigration law Support a DoJ should grant to the International Association of Chiefs of Police to enable them to make its excellent Model Policy on Hate Crime publically available - beyond just IACP members Support DoJ collecting data from every federal law enforcement agency Support FBI Field Office and FBI Resident Agent offices keeping track of law enforcement agencies in their jurisdictions that are substantially underreporting hate crimes, communicate directly with them, and take more responsibility for their participation in the Bureaus HCSA program. The success of this outreach should be taken into account as part of a Field Offices evaluation, with recognition for improved reporting and ineffective cooperative communication with police departments on hate crime reporting factored in as part of the Special Agent in Charges rating Support DoJ and the FBI working cooperatively with police organizations and departments to promote and increase funding for the FBIs National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) crime reporting program and increase real-time reporting and transparency by integrating hate crime data collection information in the promising Police Data Initiative promoted by the Task Force on 21st Century Policing. Support DoJ ensuring implementation and compliance with the Death in Custody Reporting Act. DoJ must also advance the FBIs National Use of Force database. Support DoJ undertaking a comprehensive research study to understand gaps in hate crime reporting by law enforcement agencies, including why law enforcement agencies dont report, barriers to reporting by hate crime victims, and identification of best practices in hate crime training, data collection, and reporting Support DoJ seeking budget authority for grants authorized under Section 4704 of the HCPA, which are intended to promote federal coordination and support for bias-motivated criminal investigations and prosecutions by state, local, and tribal law enforcement officials Support budget authority for the Justice Departments Community Relations Service to allow for the hiring of new professionals to help mediate, train, and facilitate in communities with intergroup tensions and in the aftermath of hate crimes Support DoJ opposing legislation to add police, firefighters, emergency medical personnel, or other first responders to federal hate crime laws Support DoJ promoting anti-bias education, hate crime prevention, and properly crafted anti-bullying, cyberbullying, and harassment education and training initiatives. While some of these actions are protected free speech, understanding this context and creating effective responses is critical to hate crime prevention Support DoJ planning additional regional training sessions - focused on jurisdictions that are underreporting hate crimes and where incidents appear to be on the rise - to enhance law enforcements ability to recognize, investigate, and report accurate data on hate crimes, as well as to build community trust and help educate and engage the public in combatting hate crimes. The Department should highlight the availability of the FBIs hate crime training manual that included particularized attention to identifying and combatting hate crimes directed against marginalized, targeted communities, including LGBT people, Muslims, Arabs, Sikhs, and Hindus Support DoJ continuing its enforcement of its civil rights statutes that protect the rights of religious communities to build places of worship and practice their religions safely Support DoJ reaffirming its commitment to implicit bias training for all federal law enforcement officials and expand that training to include local law enforcement Support DoJ developing and promoting cultural competency trainings Support DoJ undertaking a thorough review of all trainings and trainers; those that are found to be biased and bigoted must be revoked and all personnel who went through those trainings must be retrained. Each step of this process must use professional standards and always include engagement of the impacted communities in question Support reserving the use of community corrections for only those who truly require supervision Support reducing lengths of stay under community supervision to only as long as necessary to accomplish the goals of sentencing Support exercising parsimony in the use of supervision conditions to no more conditions than required to achieve the objectives of supervision Support incentivizing progress on probation and parole by granting early discharge for those who exhibit significant progress Support eliminating or significantly curtailing charging supervision fees and instead Support preserving most or all of the savings from reducing probation and parole populations and focusing those resources on improving community based services and supports for people under supervision Oppose establishing a team of federal prosecutors dedicated to pursuing drug convictions Oppose S. 276 and S. 295; oppose efforts to divide the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Oppose nomination of Judge David Stras to serve on the US Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit Support amendments to Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bills which prevent the proposed expansion of civil forfeiture by the federal government. Support amendments by Congressman Walberg, and Cohen (#46); Raskin and Sensenbrenner (#67); and Amash, Blumenauer, and Sanford (#70) to H.R. 3345 Support a moratorium on the U.S. Department of Defenses 1033 program-the largest and most prominent federal program providing police departments with military equipment-until Congress holds hearings to provide the public with important assurances and to consider various legislative proposals about this issue. Oppose the Criminal Alien Gang Member Removal Act, H.R. 3697. Support allowing applicants with expunged convictions to apply for relief under the Dream Act of 2017 Support any proposal to reform the Foreign Intelligence Act include a full fix requiring all agencies to obtain a warrant based on probable cause to search Section 702 data for information about U.S. citizens and residents for all investigations Oppose H.R. 2792, the Control Unlawful Fugitive Felons Act of 2017. If enacted, this putative and misguided bill could deprive thousands of people of Social Security Income (SSI) benefits Support HR 3800. which would abolish all mandatory minimums for drug-crimes Support HR 2899, which reauthorizes and makes improvements to the Second Chance Act Support HR 1809 / S 814, legislation to reauthorize and improve the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act Support S 1593 / HR 4019, which reforms the system of pretrial money bail Support HR 1566 / S 667, which incentivizes states and localities to report hate crimes Support HR 3701 / S 1772, which would remove statues of confederate soldiers from the Capitol Support HR 3845 / S 1458 which incetivizes states to develop and implement policies to reduce incarceration and reduce the crime rate. Support the Ellison amendment to HR 3354 to prohibit entering into contract with companies that willfully or repeatedly violate the Fair Labor Standards Act