Fighting for Fairness and Equality Under the Law

Our criminal justice system is built on equality and fairness under the law, but too many Michiganders and Americans encounter a flawed system. That’s why Gary proposed a top-to-bottom review of our criminal justice system – something that hasn’t been done since the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. He led the introduction of the bipartisan National Criminal Justice Commission Act with Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and John Cornyn (R-TX) that would task a National Criminal Justice Commission to propose reforms to address the most pressing issues facing the nation’s criminal justice system. For example, dialing 9-1-1 in case of an emergency was one of many recommendations from the previous commission review. His bill passed the Senate in December 2018 and in this new session of Congress he is continuing to work to advance this bill through Congress and bring everyone to the table.

In an effort to strengthen community partnerships and make our communities safer places to live, work and raise a family, Gary introduced bipartisan legislation and in June 2018 enacted the Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant Program Authorization Act . This law authorizes a nationwide law enforcement program focused on the reduction of violent crime. It builds on the successful and effective Project Safe Neighborhoods program—a nationwide partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement and prosecutors that uses evidence-based and data-driven approaches to reduce crime rates.