{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://labrador.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=49&itemid=1169", "Labrador Hails Passage of Criminal Justice Reform Bill", "2018-12-20", "2018", "2018-12", "Republican", "House", "ID", "Ra\u00fal Labrador", "L000573", "labrador.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\tFOR MORE INFORMATION:\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\tThursday | December 20, 2018\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\tTodd Winer - 202.495.8546\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t Dan Popkey - 208.800.1565\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\tLABRADOR HAILS PASSAGE OF\r\n\tHISTORIC CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM BILL Congressman worked on sentencing reform legislation for years\r\n\r\n\tWASHINGTON, D.C.- Rep. Ral Labrador, R-Idaho, voted for S. 3649, the First Step Act, today. This bipartisan bill, which passed the House, enacts the most significant reforms to America's criminal justice system in a generation. Specifically, it relaxes mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent offenders when a judge finds that a lesser sentence is justified. Additionally, it increases the ability of inmates to earn good time credits, allowing well-behaved inmates to cut their prison sentences, while also increasing their ability to receive earned time credits, giving them more opportunities to participate in vocational and rehabilitative programs. President Trump has praised the legislation and is expected to sign it.\r\n\r\n\tThis is one of my proudest moments in Congress, said Labrador. I've been working on this issue since I was first elected eight years ago, and it's rewarding to see our hard work finally pay off. The First Step Act will improve America's justice system by allowing it to focus on the most violent offenders, while reducing sentences for those worthy of a second chance. It's a smart, common-sense bill, and it's been gratifying to work with so many groups  representing the whole political spectrum  who championed the cause of sentencing reform and made today possible.\r\n\r\n\tLabrador began working on criminal justice reform upon taking office in 2011. After joining the House Judiciary Committee in 2013, he and Rep. Robert C. \"Bobby\" Scott (D-Va.) introduced the Smarter Sentencing Act, which garnered 55 cosponsors from both parties. The Smarter Sentencing Act was House companion legislation to S. 1410, introduced by Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah), Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), and Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.).\r\n\r\n\tIn 2013 and 2014, Labrador spent 18 months on the Judiciary Committee's Over-Criminalization Task Force, led by former Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis. During that time, the Task Force conducted 10 hearings and collected proven examples of state reforms that protect public safety while containing incarceration costs.\r\n\r\n\tIn the 114th Congress, the Smarter Sentencing Act was reintroduced. To build support for the bill, Labrador worked with a wide array of supporters including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the American Bar Association, and the Coalition for Public Safety. In 2015, Labrador went to the White House to discuss the issue with President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder. That same year, Labrador championed the issue at a forum at Howard University, where he joined other reform proponents, including Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.\r\n\r\n\tLabrador was the lead Republican co-sponsor of the Sentencing Reform Act of 2015, which included provisions from the Smarter Sentencing Act and won House Judiciary Committee approval.\r\n\r\n\tCritical parts of the Sentencing Reform Act and the Smarter Sentencing Act were included in the First Step Act, the bill that passed the House today. These include enhancing penalties for violent criminals, while reducing mandatory minimum sentences for lesser offenders when a judge finds a lesser sentence justified and expanding the existing sentencing \"safety valve\" when a judge finds the offender has fully cooperated with law enforcement and has a lesser risk of committing future crimes. The bill also allows retroactive application of the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010, a provision in the original 2013 and 2015 bills co-authored by Labrador.\r\n\r\n\tTo learn more about S. 3649, the First Step Act, please click here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://labrador.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=49&itemid=1169"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9763101115822792, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}