WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A landmark criminal justice reform bill was overwhelmingly approved by the Senate on Tuesday in a rare show of bipartisanship on Capitol Hill.
The Senate voted 87 to 12 in favor the bill known as the First Step Act, with thirty-eight Republican Senators joining with all forty-nine members of the Democratic caucus in voting to approve the legislation.
Twelve Republicans, including vocal opponents Senators Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and John Kennedy, R-La., voted against the bill, while Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., was absent.
The comprehensive bill includes a provision intended to reduce crime by helping low-risk inmates prepare to successfully rejoin society through participation in proven recidivism reduction programs.
The legislation also reduces certain mandatory minimum sentences and gives judges greater discretion in sentencing of low-level, non-violent drug offenders.
Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., called the bipartisan approval of the bill proof lawmakers can work together for the good of the nation.
'By passing this legislation, we will now begin to relieve our overcrowded prisons, redirect funding to our most pressing crime prevention efforts, make our communities safer, and ensure the integrity of our justice system,' Durbin said.
He added, 'I commend my colleagues for their spirit of cooperation on this important piece of legislation and I look forward to seeing this legislation signed by the President.'
The bill is expected to be easily approved by the House and signed by President Donald Trump, whose son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner has been a key advocate for criminal justice reform.
Trump congratulated the Senate on passage of the bill in a post on Twitter, claiming the legislation will 'keep our communities safer, and provide hope and a second chance, to those who earn it.'
'In addition to everything else, billions of dollars will be saved,' Trump continued. 'I look forward to signing this into law!'
The legislation includes safeguards to prevent career and violent criminals from receiving earned time credits toward pre-release custody, although critics such as Cotton and Kennedy felt the bill did not go far enough.
The final vote on the bill came after the Senate rejected amendments that would block more offenders from participating in the earned time credit program.
'While the bill has marginally improved from earlier versions, I'm disappointed my amendments to exclude child molesters from early release and to protect victims' rights were not adopted,' Cotton said in a statement.
He added, 'I also remain concerned that reducing sentences for drug traffickers and violent felons is a threat to public safety.'
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