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October 10, 2022

Trone Joins Former Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan for Criminal Justice Reform Roundtable

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 10, 2022

Contact: Sasha Galbreath, Sasha.Galbreath@mail.house.gov 

Trone Joins Former Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan for Criminal Justice Reform Roundtable

From left: Congressman Trone, Hagerstown Councilwomen Shelley McIntire and Tekesha Martinez, and former Speaker Paul Ryan met to discuss bipartisan criminal justice reform

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman David Trone (D-MD) joined former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Paul Ryan (R-WI) for a roundtable focused on bipartisan criminal justice reform efforts. 

The discussion was hosted by former Speaker Paul Ryan’s American Idea Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on strengthening the ideas pipeline among community leaders, policymakers, and academia. The Congressman and former Speaker also visited Gatekeepers, an organization in Hagerstown founded and run by formerly incarcerated individuals and helps others re-enter society after incarceration. 

“This discussion makes clear that criminal justice reform is a pressing national issue, and that the solutions we develop can and should be bipartisan,” said Congressman Trone. “Gatekeepers is a phenomenal organization putting in the hard work to help formerly incarcerated folks find jobs and housing, and contribute back to their communities after serving their time. They are a perfect example of what re-entry programs should look like in every town, but they need our support. I’m glad to work with former Speaker Ryan on this issue to deliver commonsense policies in Maryland and across the country.”

In Congress, Congressman Trone has worked to pass effective, bipartisan legislation to address long-standing problems within our criminal justice system. Last October, Trone introduced the Fresh Start Act with Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) to provide funding for states to improve record-sealing services for eligible individuals, giving rehabilitated offenders a second chance to secure stable jobs, housing, and education. The legislation is co-sponsored by 10 other Republicans and 20 other Democrats. The bill was passed out the Judiciary Committee last month.

Trone is also working with the Bureau of Prisons to better the system’s re-entry programs, including establishing an Opportunity Pipeline Initiative to connect incarcerated individuals with the nation’s top employers and set them up with a job as they are re-entering their community, providing them both soft- and hard-skills training. Research has found that the probability of re-conviction for someone who is employed within two months of release and earning at least $10 or more per hour is only eight percent, one-third of the probability of an unemployed ex-offender.

Trone’s Expanding Educational Opportunities for Justice-Impacted Communities Act passed into law during the 116th Congress, which repealed the ban on the receipt of Pell Grants by incarcerated individuals. 

Congressman David Trone was elected to the House of Representatives in November 2018 to serve the 6th District of Maryland, which includes all or part of Montgomery, Frederick, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett Counties. Trone serves on the Appropriations, Veterans’ Affairs, and Joint Economic Committees. In Congress, Trone is fighting to make progress on issues that matter to Marylanders, including the mental health and addiction crises, criminal justice reform, and funding for medical research.

Follow Congressman Trone at @RepDavidTrone for updates on TwitterFacebook, and Instagram.

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