{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/grassley-durbin-reintroduce-bipartisan-criminal-justice-bills", "Grassley, Durbin Reintroduce Bipartisan Criminal Justice Bills", "2025-12-16", "2025", "2025-12", "Republican", "Senate", "IA", "Chuck Grassley", "G000386", "www.grassley.senate.gov", "grassley", "https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) introduced four bipartisan criminal justice bills to better protect American communities and strengthen the nation\u2019s criminal justice system. The First Step Implementation Act, the Safer Detention Act, the Prohibiting Punishment of Acquitted Conduct Act and the FSA Reporting Extension Act each build off the successes of the lawmakers\u2019 First Step Act (FSA), which President Trump signed into law in 2018.\n\n\u201cCriminals must face just penalties, and our nation\u2019s criminal justice system should seek to prevent recidivism,\u201d Grassley said. \u201cI\u2019m committed to advancing efforts that will help reduce crime, improve our nation\u2019s justice system and safeguard American communities.\u201d\n\n\u201cSeven years ago, Congress came together to pass the most important criminal justice reform law in a generation. But as its name suggests, it was just the first step,\u201d Durbin said. \u201cIn order to keep making our justice system fairer and our communities safer, we must continue reforming our antiquated and outdated sentencing laws and providing opportunities for those who are incarcerated to prepare to reenter society successfully. I appreciate Senator Grassley\u2019s partnership in this important endeavor.\u201d\n\nThe First Step Implementation Act, the Safer Detention Act and the Prohibiting Punishment of Acquitted Conduct Act are endorsed by Right On Crime, the Conservative Political Action Conference and Americans for Prosperity. A full list of endorsements is available HERE.\n\n\u201cEach of these bills strengthens public safety in a different way \u2014 by ensuring fairness at sentencing, focusing resources on dangerous individuals, and fully implementing reforms that reduce recidivism. Together, they move the federal system toward a smarter, more accountable, and more effective approach to public safety,\u201d said Brett Tolman, Executive Director for Right On Crime.\n\n\u201cThese solutions complement one another and point in the same direction: a justice system that is more focused on actual risk, more respectful of constitutional limits, and more effective at reducing crime. That\u2019s the type of system communities can trust,\u201d said Rachel Wright, National Policy Director for Right On Crime.\n\nThe First Step Implementation Act:\n\nThe First Step Implementation Act would strengthen the First Step Act by:\n\nAllowing courts to apply First Step Act sentencing reform provisions retroactively;\n\nGiving courts discretion when sentencing nonviolent controlled substance offenders, or reducing sentences of juvenile offenders who have served more than 20 years;\n\nProviding for the sealing or expungement of records of nonviolent juvenile offenses; and,\n\nRequiring the Attorney General to ensure accurate criminal records are shared for employment-related purposes.\n\nThis legislation is also endorsed by the Prison Fellowship Ministries.\n\nBill text is available HERE.\n\nThe Safer Detention Act:\n\nThe Safer Detention Act would reauthorize and reform the now-expired Elderly Home Detention Pilot Program and clarify applicability of compassionate release from federal prisons.?\n\nThis legislation is also endorsed by the Prison Fellowship Ministries.\n\nBill text is available HERE.\n\nProhibiting Punishment of Acquitted Conduct Act\n\nThe Prohibiting Punishment of Acquitted Conduct Act would prohibit courts from considering conduct defendants have been acquitted of for sentencing purposes.\n\nBill text is available HERE.\n\nFSA Reporting Extension Act\n\nThe FSA Reporting Extension Act would extend the First Step Act\u2019s annual reporting requirement by five years.\n\nThe First Step Act required the Attorney General to submit annual reports to Congress on the bill\u2019s implementation and impact for five consecutive years, starting two years after implementation. The FSA Reporting Extension Act would extend this reporting through 2030.\n\nBill text is available HERE.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "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://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/grassley-durbin-reintroduce-bipartisan-criminal-justice-bills"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5929259825497866, "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"}