FreedomWorks is proud to announce that our bill of the month for April 2020 is the bill to correct the Elderly Home Detention Pilot Program, H.R. 4018. This bipartisan bill, cosponsored by Republican Reps. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), and Greg Murphy (R-N.C.), alongside lead Democrat sponsor Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.), would fix a technical issue related to the Elderly Home Detention Pilot Program that was created under the First Step Act, namely by including good time credits in the calculation for early transfer into home confinement for elderly, nonviolent, low-risk inmates. This is especially critical during the COVID-19 crisis.

This week, both Virginia Governor Ralph Northam (D) and North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper (D) announced statewide executive orders for their states regarding policy and practice as our nation deals with the novel coronavirus. Each governor made different calls for their states’ schools, with Virginia closing all K-12 schools for the remainder of the year and North Carolina extending its public school closure through May 15. Both states limited gathering sizes and mandated the closure of nonessential retail businesses.

Just as the coronavirus pandemic is not an excuse for legislatures to pass irresponsible measures in the name of protecting their citizenry, the coronavirus pandemic is also not an excuse for these same legislatures to forego their responsibilities to continue working on unrelated issues. Once the current state of affairs has passed, citizens will return to their daily patterns and elected officials to their posts taking care of issues unrelated to coronavirus.

Jason Pye co-authored this post.

FreedomWorks is proud to honor Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) as our member of the month for March 2020. Representing Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, located to the northwest of Phoenix, Rep. Lesko is a consistent, strong female voice for conservatism in the House of Representatives. The lone female member of the House Freedom Caucus and co-chair of the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues, Rep. Lesko is beyond deserving of FreedomWorks’ recognition in this Women’s History Month.

Last week, President Trump extended clemency to nearly a dozen Americans. Much contention has arisen around those who he chose to pardon and commute the sentences of, but there are a few simple truths that undergird the whole process and remain true, no matter who clemency is given to. Chief among these is that, in order to pursue justice, prison sentences should be no more excessive than necessary to fit the crime -- That is, to provide proper measures for punitive purposes, for any victims’ purposes, and importantly for rehabilitative purposes.

FreedomWorks is proud to honor Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) as our member of the month for February 2020. Representing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the United States Senate since 2011, Sen. Toomey becomes our first-ever senator to be recognized as member of the month. This is well-deserved, as his principles, intellect, and compassion suit him well to represent his constituents and defend liberty, on everything from healthcare and taxes to trade and spending.

At his State of the Union address last week, President Trump highlighted the need for school choice across America, and rightly so. There is nobody who knows better what education is most suitable for their children than parents and the student themselves. Certainly, the government does not know best and we should do all we can to put this decision in the hands of those closest to the students in our communities.

This week, the House of Representatives will consider a joint resolution to remove the deadline for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. This constitutional amendment was approved by Congress in 1972 and submitted to the states for ratification. The preamble of the proposed constitutional amendment, however, set the deadline for ratification. In 1978, Congress extended the deadline, but even this new deadline has long since passed.