Today, FreedomWorks sent a letter to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary in support of its markup of three smart-on-crime justice reform bills that will receive consideration tomorrow: the COVID-19 Safer Detention Act (S. 312), the Prohibiting Punishment of Acquitted Conduct Act (S. 601), and the First Step Implementation Act (S. 1014).

On behalf of our activist community, I urge you to contact your representative and ask him or her to cosponsor the Kenneth P. Thompson Begin Again Act, H.R. 1924. Introduced by Reps. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Van Taylor (R-Texas), the Kenneth P. Thompson Begin Again Act would eliminate the age requirement for an individual seeking to have his or her record expunged for a first-time drug offense.

On behalf of FreedomWorks’ activist community, I urge you to contact your representative and ask him or her to cosponsor the Student Loan Reform Act, H.R. 1586, introduced by Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.). This bill would establish a program under which colleges and universities can cosign all eligible direct loans made to their students in exchange for the ability to offer lower interest rates on such loans. Allowing for institutions of higher learning to cosign student loans presents a much-needed market-based solution to the student debt crisis by incentivizing such institutions to take more responsibility for their students’ futures while also encouraging students to choose higher education paths more wisely and seek degrees that institutions stand behind.

One of the cornerstone principles of the Western legal tradition is the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. Over the last century, the imposition of bail requirements for accused offenders has flipped that presumption on its head, frequently making pre-trial freedom contingent on cash bail amounts well above the ability of an average citizen to pay. This issue brief explores how this came to be and aims to set out principles for states to use in reforming their bail guidelines. The goal is a return to a system that truly serves both justice and public safety.

On behalf of our activist community in Ohio, I urge you to support Senate Bill (SB) 3. This bill reforms Ohio’s sentencing laws for low-level, nonviolent offenses and focuses limited prison resources and severe, mandatory minimum sentences for high-level drug traffickers. FreedomWorks supports this approach. To this effect, our activists have sent 27,207 messages in support of Senate Bill 3 to Ohio state legislators over the past year and a half.

"Every year, throughout the United States, thousands of citizens are being abused by a growingly authoritarian federal government. The sheer volume of federal statutes and regulations that carry criminal penalties means that every American could be considered a criminal by federal authorities for one thing or another. Unfortunately, most people do not take the time to consider the issue of overcriminalization until they are at the receiving end of a federal subpoena. In order to combat this epidemic of overcriminalization, legislators, bureaucrats, and other decision makers must recognize the scope of this issue and begin by plucking the lowest hanging fruit to address it."

Welcome to the new and improved Regulatory Action Center (RAC) Review! RAC proudly keeps you up to date on what we’re up to and what we’re keeping our eyes on here in the swamp. We offer resources for you to get involved in the rulemaking process to hold unelected bureaucrats accountable and occasionally offer praise in the event they have a good impulse. We will also highlight the incredible work our activists have done to advance the principles of smaller government, lower taxes, free markets, personal liberty, and the rule of law. For more ways to get involved and stay informed, check the links at the bottom of this post.

The sky is blue, grass is green, it’s a day that ends in ‘y,’ and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai is the subject of disingenuous attacks from the left. This time, they come regarding the substance of the FCC’s upcoming August open meeting tomorrow morning. The Commission is set to tackle a couple of issues: reduction of prison telephone rates and the liberation of more spectrum for developing 5G.

FreedomWorks recently announced the launch of the American Freedom Initiative (AFI), a collaboration headed by former acting U.S. Attorney General Matt Whitaker. This project aims to help relieve injustices committed against Americans under the criminal justice system and the regulatory state. As part of this project, we will shine a spotlight on some of the individuals the AFI has identified under its National Pardon Project as being particularly hard hit by unjustly harsh criminal sentences for non-violent crimes.