Senate Passes Landmark Criminal Justice Reform
First Step Act approved by vote of 87-12
WASHINGTON – The Senate tonight passed once-in-a-generation reforms to America’s prison and sentencing system to reduce recidivism, save tax dollars and promote safe communities. The bipartisan First Step Act uses evidence-based recidivism reduction programs to help inmates successfully return to society after serving their sentence. It also reduces some sentences for certain low-level, nonviolent offenders while preserving important law enforcement tools to tackle criminal enterprises. The bill was approved by a vote of 87-12.
“It’s been several decades since Congress made significant reforms to our nation’s criminal justice and prison policies. The First Step Act takes lessons from history and from states – our laboratories of democracy – to reduce crime, save taxpayer dollars and strengthen faith and fairness in our criminal justice system. Today’s vote is an important victory in our years-long effort, which has resulted in a broad bipartisan recognition of the need for reforms. This bill is the product of careful deliberation and input from a wide range of stakeholders and law enforcement organizations. I’m grateful for the engagement from those who joined us to pass the bill and for President Trump’s leadership. I look forward to the swift passage of the First Step Act by the House,” Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said.
“Tonight, by a vote of 87-12 the members of the Senate proved that we can work together for the good of our nation. Passage of the First Step Act is the most significant change to our system of criminal justice in decades. It was supported by an amazing coalition of unlikely partners – progressive Democrats and conservative Republicans, law enforcement groups and civil rights groups, business leaders and faith-based organizations. 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. 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,” Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin said.
“We did it. We passed real bipartisan criminal justice reform. Thanks to the hard work of my colleagues, American families will be stronger and our communities will be safer. This is a huge win for America and President Trump,” Senator Mike Lee said.
“Our country’s criminal justice system is broken – and it has been broken for decades. You cannot deny justice to any American without it affecting all Americans. That’s why the passage of the First Step Act tonight is so meaningful – it begins to right past wrongs that continue to deny justice to millions of Americans. This bill is a step forward for our criminal justice system. By no means can it be the only step – it must be the beginning of a long effort to restore justice to our justice system. But for the first time in a long time, with the passage of this bill into law, our country will make a meaningful break from the decades of failed policies that led to mass incarceration, which has cost taxpayers billions of dollars, drained our economy, compromised public safety, hurt our children, and disproportionately harmed communities of color while devaluing the very idea of justice in America,” Senator Cory Booker said.
“Today the Senate took a great step forward in building safer communities and a brighter future for those who have served their time and are re-entering society. By cutting recidivism, encouraging job training, education and mental health and substance abuse treatments for incarcerated individuals, and making our criminal justice system both smarter and tougher, we have taken a positive step forward tonight. I want to thank all of my colleagues for their hard work on this bill, and I look forward to House passage and the President enthusiastically signing the First Step Act into law,” Senator Tim Scott said.
“This bill is the product of years of bipartisan hard work, patience, and strong advocacy by Rhode Islanders and people across the country, including those who have gone through the system themselves. Senator Cornyn and I drew on our home states’ success in helping low-risk inmates return to society, stay out of trouble, and contribute to their community. The bill will also address serious issues with sentencing practices that land too many people in prison for too long. Thank you to the Rhode Islanders who contributed to this bill, and to my colleagues from both sides of the aisle who joined me in this effort,” Senator Sheldon Whitehouse said.
The First Step Act combines prison reform proposals that overwhelmingly passed in the House of Representatives earlier this year with sentencing reform provisions from the broadly bipartisan Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act, which was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in February.
The comprehensive package aims to reduce crime by helping low-risk inmates prepare to successfully rejoin society through participation in proven recidivism reduction programs. It also improves fairness in prison sentences by recalibrating certain mandatory minimum sentences while expanding their application to new categories of violent felons. The bill grants greater discretion to judges in sentencing of low-level, nonviolent drug offenders who cooperate with law enforcement. It also clarifies congressional intent on sentencing enhancements for certain crimes involving firearms. The First Step Act preserves the maximum potential sentences for violent and career criminals. Finally, the legislation also allows petitions for retroactive application of the Fair Sentencing Act to be considered on an individual basis to reduce sentence disparities between crack and powder cocaine offenses. Under this legislation, any savings generated by the reforms are automatically reinvested into law enforcement programs to further reduce crime and improve community safety.
The First Step Act includes safeguards that prevent career and violent criminals from receiving earned time credits toward pre-release custody following completion of recidivism reduction programs. Under the bill, each inmate is evaluated using a data-driven risk and needs assessment tool to determine their likelihood of reoffending upon release. Only inmates found to be a low or minimum risk may benefit from earned time credits. Conviction for a number of serious offenses also disqualify inmates from earning time credits.
The First Step Act is modeled after state-based reforms that have proven to reduce crime, prison populations and taxpayer expenses. It is endorsed by President Trump and cosponsored by more than a third of the Senate, evenly balanced among Democrats and Republicans.
The First Step Act is backed by a number of law enforcement groups, including the nation’s largest police group. It’s also supported by 172 former federal prosecutors including two former Republican U.S. attorneys general, two former deputy attorneys general and a former director of the FBI along with sheriffs from 34 states across the country. The National Governor’s Association, which represents the governors of all 50 states, praised the bill. A broad coalition of conservative and progressive groups along with a host of business leaders and faith-based organizations also support the First Step Act
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AEMA Awards NOVAGOLD for Corporate Excellence
SPOKANE, WA - The American Exploration & Mining Association (AEMA) honored NOVAGOLD Resources Inc. with AEMA's Platinum Award for Corporate Excellence at its 124th Annual Meeting earlier this month in Spokane, WA. The award was presented to NOVAGOLD for designing the Donlin Gold project to incorporate a strong culture of safety, environmental stewardship, and community engagement with the potential to generate meaningful benefits throughout Alaska for many decades to come.
"NOVAGOLD is honored to receive AEMA's 2018 Platinum Award for Corporate Excellence for its work on the Donlin Gold project in southwestern Alaska," said Ron Rimmelman, NOVAGOLD Vice President, Environment, Health, Safety & Sustainability. "We also would like to thank our partners, Barrick Gold, and two Alaska Native Corporations, Calista Corporation and The Kuskokwim Corporation as well as the Donlin Gold, LLC partnership team in Alaska for their extraordinary work and commitment to the project."
Located in the Yukon Kuskokwim (Y-K) region in Western Alaska, 10 miles north of Crooked Creek Village, Donlin Gold is one of the largest known undeveloped gold deposits in the world. With an estimated 33.8 million ounces of gold reserves, the Donlin Gold project is proposed to process approximately 59,000 short tons of ore per day for an estimated 27 years. The project is located on land owned by two Alaska Native corporations, the Calista Corporation (Calista) owns the mineral rights and The Kuskokwim Corporation (TKC) owns the surface rights.
In April, following an extensive six-year environmental review process, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) released the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Donlin Gold project, and in August it received a single federal Record of Decision (ROD) from the Corps and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM). These were landmark issuances, as Donlin Gold is the first project to receive a single, multi-agency ROD since the implementation of the One Federal Decision policy established by Executive Order (E.O.) 13807 requiring federal agencies to cooperate in the processing of environmental reviews and authorization decisions. To accomplish this milestone, Donlin Gold worked on a daily basis with the Corps and BLM staff and management to ensure that they had all the information they needed to reach a strong and nationally precedent-setting decision.
"Receipt of the first ever joint ROD from the Corps and BLM was a major milestone in advancing Donlin Gold, which represents one of the world's largest and highest-grade known open pit deposits," Rimmelman said.
Concurrent with the ROD, the Corps issued its Clean Water Action Section 404 and Rivers and Harbors Act Section 10 permit, and the BLM issued it's Right of Way Offer for the project pipeline portions on Federal lands. The ROD and Federal permit issuances marked a major step in the project's effort to secure all the key approvals needed to construct and operate the mine.
As one of the largest private sector development opportunities in Southwest Alaska, NOVAGOLD is working with its partner, Barrick Gold to ensure the project will benefit the entire region. Donlin Gold has demonstrated its commitment to the Y-K region by prioritizing local hiring, preserving the region's way of life, and participating in community programs. Donlin Gold also is one of the four principal sponsors of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race.
Donlin Gold is living up to their motto: "Every Person Going Home Safe and Healthy Every Day." For seven consecutive years, Donlin Gold has been honored with the Barrick Merit of Safety Award, a distinction that recognizes 365 days of zero loss-time incidents. Additionally, the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development recognized Donlin Gold with an award for accomplishing more than a million work hours with zero loss-time incidents; the project has now achieved more than 2 million hours worked without a loss-time incident.
"NOVOGOLD has established itself as an exemplar in the mining industry by demonstrating that high standards lead to a successful business model that benefits employees, their families, the projects' communities, and their shareholders," said AEMA Executive Director Laura Skaer. "Additionally, receiving the first single, multi-agency ROD makes Donlin Gold a landmark project that illustrates the tremendous success of One Federal Decision. AEMA is proud to recognize NOVAGOLD for their exceptional Donlin Gold project."
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About AEMA:
Founded 123 years ago, AEMA is headquartered in Spokane, WA. It is a 2,000-member national association representing the minerals industry with members residing in 42 U.S. states, seven Canadian provinces, and 10 other countries.
MWA AT CES
BOOTH#17540 – Central Hall
MWA LAUNCHES CYLO CANNONBALL IPX7 WATERPROOF FLOATABLE BLUETOOTH SPEAKERS AT CES 2019
Patent-Pending Stabilization in Water and on Land
Floats in Water, Sand & Dirt Resistant for Beach, Outdoor & Indoor Use
with Flat Bottom for Indoor Table & Desk Use
Cannonball’s True Wireless Technology Allows it to Pair Two Speakers Together
for Immersive Sound for Parties, Home, & Office
Release: http://www.thomas-pr.com/mwa/mwacylorelease.html
NY, NY, Dec 19, 2018 – MiWorld Accessories (MWA), a leader in designer electronics, with brands including Cylo, Isaac Mizrahi, Bebe, Sugartone, Coby, and Kensie, announced today that they will launch an extension of their Cylo line of audio products at CES 2019, Booth #17540 Central Hall, the patent-pending Cannonball IPX7 waterproof floatable Bluetooth speakers, which feature true wireless capabilities that allows you to pair two speakers together for a totally immersive experience.
Patent-Pending Stabilization Technology for Use in Water and on Land
Priced at $49.99 and $79.99 respectively and available March 2019, the rugged Cannonball and Cannonball Max float in water with patent-pending stabilization technology for use on water and on land. Sand and dirt resistant for the beach and outdoors, they feature up to a 100 foot Bluetooth range -- perfect for listening to music at parties, the beach, home, and in the office. In addition, the Cannonball speakers have a flat bottom to use indoors as a table or desktop speaker and feature a built-in mic to take phone calls.
Cylo Cannonball Bluetooth Speaker Line Info:
Cannonball Model:
Cannonball Max Model:
MWA will be at CES 2019, Booth #17540 in the Central Hall, LVCC. CES is held January 8-11, 2019 in Las Vegas at the las Vegas Convention Center. To schedule CES press meeting with MWA, contact: Karen Thomas/Eva Yutani, Thomas PR (631) 549-7575, Emails: kthomas@thomaspr.com eyutani@thomaspr.com
MWA is redefining the way products are designed and manufactured, staying on top of fashion and trends that translate to unique innovations. Their team of designers and engineers is continually improving product design that utilizes advancements in the market and pushes the boundaries of everyday design. For more information, see the Cylo site at: www.gocylo.com and MWA at: www.miworldaccessories.com.
Cannonball Video: https://vimeo.com/195327243
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Retiring Without An Income Plan
Is Like Flying Without GPS
After decades of work, easing into retirement can be an exciting time.
But the luster can wear off quickly if there’s not a good retirement-income plan already in place when those weekly paychecks stop, especially if it becomes clear that retirement savings and Social Security aren’t enough to cover expenses.
“Some people retire with no income plan at all, but that’s like flying without GPS and still expecting to hit your target,” says Jay Sharifi, an investment advisor at Legacy Wealth Management (www.lwealthmanagement.com) and author of Building a Better Legacy: Retirement Planning for Your Lifetime and Beyond.
“Maybe they think since they’ve saved some money, they will be okay. But saving money for retirement and planning your retirement are two different things. When you fly, you want to know exactly where you’re going and how you will get there. The same is true when you’re planning your retirement.”
Sharifi says there’s plenty of territory to cover when trying to work out how you will pay monthly bills, handle unexpected emergencies, and hopefully have some money left over for a little fun. But perhaps a good place to start is to ask yourself these three questions:
How much money do you need? This can vary widely – and wildly – by the household. “The general rule of thumb is that retirees will require 70 to 80 percent of their pre-retirement income to maintain their lifestyle,” Sharifi says. So, if you had an annual income of $100,000 pre-retirement, you need to shoot for about $80,000 in retirement. Once you decide what that number is, the key becomes matching your income need with the correct investment strategies, options and tools to satisfy that need, he says.
How long does your money need to last? The No. 1 fear that haunts retirees is the possibility they will outlive their money. It’s a legitimate concern because people are living longer than they used to – which means they need to stretch that money out to meet their life expectancy. Look at it this way, Sharifi says. The average man in 1950 lived to be 65 and the average woman 71. Today, men are averaging about 19 additional years, and for women it’s an extra 15 years, according to the Social Security Administration. “You need to plan for at least 20 more years of income,” Sharifi says.
What happens when life plans change? Part of income planning involves taking into account what happens when one spouse gets sick or dies, potentially resulting in the loss of a pension check and definitely the loss of a Social Security check. “Poverty after the loss of a spouse is more common among women than men, which isn’t surprising since women live longer,” Sharifi says. “The income goes down, but the bills coming in remain the same.” Retirees have a few options to alleviate this concern, such as life insurance plans, living benefit options and joint-income riders that can be purchased when designing an income portfolio. A financial professional also can provide advice on how to maximize Social Security benefits.
“Leaving your retirement up to chance is inadvisable by nearly any standard, yet millions of people find themselves hoping for a happy ending instead of planning for one,” Sharifi says. “With information, tools and professional guidance, creating a successful retirement plan can put you in control of your financial management. And as a result, you won’t be flying blindly.”
About Jay Sharifi
Jay Sharifi, author of Building a Better Legacy: Retirement Planning for Your Lifetime and Beyond, is founder and investment advisor with Legacy Wealth Management (www.lwealthmanagement.com). He has passed the Series 65 securities exam and holds a life and health insurance license in Virginia. He has an MBA from the Keller Graduate School of Management and a Certificate of Financial Planning from Georgetown University.
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Lasting Lessons from the Christmas Truce
By Wim Laven
814 words
In 1914 violent conflict was raging. There was global suffering of a scale previously unknown, and it was known as the Great War (until 21+ years later it became simply World War I). WWI was a different time—19 out of 20 war deaths were combatants. In 2018 we see 19 out of 20 war deaths are civilians.
In December of 1914 something magical took place in trenches in several places along the Western Front; opposing forces were able to stop killing each other in a Christmas Truce. Shooting was halted so that the bodies of the fallen could be collected, enemy combatants sang carols together and even enjoyed friendly soccer matches. Soldiers from opposing forces actively engaged in violent struggle took advantage of an opportunity to lay down their arms in the celebration of Christmas, which is at its core a celebration of love. No man's land briefly turned into a place of peace.
The earliest lessons of the Christmas Truce reflected a natural aversion to killing identifiable people who had done nothing in particular to harm one or one's people. Military command on both sides--especially German v French and British--gave strict orders forbidding such fraternization. But it was the inevitable atrocities of war that would doom such natural overtures of peace from the ranks.
By WWII specific efforts to combat “friendliness” were made in many forms, the dehumanization and emnification of enemies were central to this charge. This was all a reflection of a belligerent nation's need to overcome a core human value: reverence for life. In order to degrade human rights governments and leaders have gone to great lengths to quash this fundamental desire for peace, our psychologies of survival and our innate revulsion of killing.
Indeed, truces and ceasefires provide reminders of the tremendous capacity of humans to do good. In my Christian tradition I cannot think of any better reflection of Jesus’s teachings in compassion, charity, and forgiveness. Can we make truces in 2018, domestic and international? Is it possible to return to common values in peace and reverence for life? I think so, and I would like to encourage everyone to reflect on these lessons. I teach conflict resolution, and one of the fundamental truths of conflict is that there are no guarantees, no one-size-fits-all approach, and no universal answer.It depends is where the thinking and examination starts, but if people can stop shooting at each other both literally and metaphorically we all ought to be able to engage with North Korea, with Mexico, or simply sit through a family dinner, even with people who voted for “the wrong person.”
Efforts have been made to undermine our innate desires for peace, this is part of the challenge. Politics, for example, mislead and obfuscate. Trump has told thousands of lies as President, he is willing to lie about anything, and he uses his lies to divide people—he draws his power through division. He attacks truth, but we can see past his subterfuge. In conflict, I teach, trust is built when we make and keep agreements and when we are advocates for the rights of all. The lies of our political leaders may make our lives more difficult but they don’t stop us from honoring our own word to each other and insisting that our governments do the same.
In 2018 it is clear that cyber warfare has weaponized fake news and ignorance. Putin's agents, in particular, attack the U.S. by manipulating Americans into fighting with each other. It is a much more sophisticated process of what I recall from grade school. I remember fights could be manufactured through illegitimate gossip, and Russian agent trolls have promoted misinformation campaigns for extremely nefarious consequences. The Russians are wonderful people but are ruled by an autocrat who wants us to destroy ourselves—and we’re doing it one lie at a time. Putin's operatives are trolling Americans to manufacture as much chaos, political upheaval, and violence as possible. Trump is their boy. We are their targets.
If you see “Make America Great Again” or “Black Lives Matter” and your blood boils that means division is winning. If you see it as an opportunity toward dialog, then you beat Putin and his puppet Trump. Like the soldiers who made the Christmas Truce of 1914, we can begin to dissolve the forces that mandate our positional status as enemy. If we could hold to that, we could succeed in what they tried to start.
Connecting to each other--first as Americans who reject Trump and the politics of division and then to the efforts to stop the geopolitical hatreds that produced both the Cold War and now the Russian, American, and Chinese efforts to gain dominance over all--we might have a chance to create a worldwide, permanent Christmas Truce. Nothing less than the future of humankind is in the balance.
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Wim Laven, syndicated by PeaceVoice, is a doctoral candidate in International Conflict Management at Kennesaw State University, he teaches courses in political science and conflict resolution, and is on the Governing Council of the International Peace Research Association.
