Category: US Senate

Source: United States Senator for Arkansas – John Boozman

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, is championing legislation to strengthen access to mental health services in agricultural communities.

The Farmers First Act of 2023 is bipartisan legislation that would reauthorize the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN), a program that connects farmers, ranchers and other agriculture workers to stress assistance programs and resources. Through FRSAN, state departments of agriculture, state extension services and nonprofits receive funding to establish helplines, provide suicide prevention training for farm advocates and create support groups for farmers and farm workers. 

“Arkansas agricultural producers help feed and clothe the world. This responsibility creates unique stresses as they manage operations and face challenges that are often beyond their control. This legislation continues efforts to improve access to mental health services in rural communities and creates additional opportunities to connect agriculture workers and producers with behavioral health providers to enhance the quality of life for families and individuals throughout farm country,” Boozman said.

The Farmers First Act is critical as suicide, mental health challenges and stress are on the rise in rural communities. According to the National Rural Health Association, the rate of suicide among farmers is three and a half times higher than among the general population. A Morning Consult poll found that during 2021, 61 percent of farmers and farm workers and 52 percent of rural adults reported experiencing more stress and mental health challenges compared to the prior year. The same poll also found that while stigma around seeking help or treatment for mental health has decreased, it remains a factor, especially in agriculture. 

Boozman authored a provision in the reauthorization measure that would enhance connections between FRSAN grantees and behavioral health medical providers such as certified community behavioral health clinics, health centers, rural health clinics and critical access hospitals. This is critical to helping build relationships with behavioral health professionals.

The legislation is led by U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) and, in addition to Boozman, is cosponsored by Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Senators Jon Tester (D-MT), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Tina Smith (D-MN), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Michael Bennet (D-CO). 

Initiatives to improve rural mental health resources and expand access to suicide prevention programs in rural America were included in the 2018 Farm Bill. Boozman and his colleagues on the Senate Agriculture Committee are in the process of writing the next Farm Bill.

“Our farmers face so many unique challenges that cause stress and impact their mental health. We’re making real progress treating health care above the neck the same as health care below the neck. This legislation will help connect farmers and rural communities to stress resources and mental health care, including my successful community behavioral health clinics that offer 24/7 crisis services and other resources close to home,” said Stabenow. 

Boozman is also a cosponsor of the Home-Based Telemental Health Care Act of 2023, legislation that would establish a grant program for health providers to expand tele-mental health services in rural areas and for individuals working in the farming, forest and fishing industries.

Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

WASHINGTON—Ahead of his upcoming congressional delegation trip to the region, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Thursday spoke at a U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on assessing U.S. policy towards the Western Balkans.

On the Serbia-Kosovo normalization agreement, Murphy said: “I share the chairman’s concerns about Serbia’s penchant to make commitments that often aren’t made good on. But I also share your sentiment, Mr. Chollet, that so far, we haven’t seen a lot of progress on either side, from Serbia or from Kosovo on the commitments made in this most recent agreement. I just wanted to dig into this question of the association of Serbian municipalities a bit more, and sort of ask two specific questions. One, this has never seemed to me an outrageous ask, in part because I agree with you, Mr. Escobar. This ultimately solves a lot of problems for Kosovo. It has, I understand, corollaries in Europe. There are other instances where there are parts, regions of countries that have a certain amount of devolved power. And it is not inevitable that this becomes a Republika Sprska.”

On North Macedonia’s constitutional amendment vote and potential EU membership, Murphy said: “With respect to the question of the ASM, we’re not asking Kosovo to change their constitution. But let’s be clear, in other circumstances in the region, there are changes in constitutions necessary to preserve peace. One of those instances is in North Macedonia where an agreement has been reached to try to bring North Macedonia into transatlantic institutions and into the European Union that would require them to change their constitution to recognize the rights of minority groups inside the country.”

A full transcript of Murphy’s exchanged with Derek Chollet, Counselor of the Department of State:

MURPHY: “Mr. Chairman, thank you for convening this hearing. Very conveniently timed for me personally because this weekend I’ll be heading to the region to most of the countries that we’re discussing today, and looking forward to building on these efforts that we’ve been discussing today to promote stability in the region.

“I share the chairman’s concerns about Serbia’s penchant to make commitments that often aren’t made good on. But I also share your sentiment, Mr. Chollet, that so far, we haven’t seen a lot of progress on either side, from Serbia or from Kosovo on the commitments made in this most recent agreement.

“I just wanted to dig into this question of the association of Serbian municipalities a bit more, and sort of ask two specific questions. One, this has never seemed to me an outrageous ask, in part because I agree with you, Mr. Escobar. This ultimately solves a lot of problems for Kosovo. It has, I understand, corollaries in Europe. There are other instances where there are parts, regions of countries that have a certain amount of devolved power. And it is not inevitable that this becomes a Republika Sprska. Maybe talk a little bit about how this looks familiar and why this doesn’t automatically turn into what has happened inside Bosnia-Herzegovina.”

CHOLLET: “Sure, thanks, Senator Murphy, and thanks in advance for taking the trip next week, which is I think it comes at a very, very important moment in this dialogue. First, just to step back on the on the ASM. As Mr. Escobar has said this is an international commitment. It was enshrined in the 2013 Brussels Agreement, so it’s about 10 years now. And in our view, it comports with the Kosovo constitution and constitutional court decisions. The bottom line here is we want all citizens of Kosovo to be able to receive equal services and have their voices heard.

“The idea is for the Serbs in the north of Kosovo to be less reliant on Belgrade in its focus on education and health care and economic, local economic development, things like that. We have been very, very clear that we will not accept nor we support anything that remotely resembles a Republika Sprska. As you noted, the European Union has cited more than a dozen examples within the EU of ASM like structures in Northern Italy, in Switzerland, in Finland, where they have these minority populations, where they have some degree of local control over parts of their lives.

“Mr. Escobar and I co-wrote an op-ed on it for Kosovo, in Kosovo papers earlier this year, laying out in our mind what the ASM is and what it isn’t, and that argument that we made has been embraced by the leadership of Kosovo. And they are saying they are using that as they are forming their own thinking about what an ASM might look like. What we’d like to see is their view of what an ASM might look like, and how that could be acceptable.”

MURPHY: “Let me just turn to North Macedonia for a moment. With respect to the question of the ASM, we’re not asking Kosovo to change their constitution. But let’s be clear, in other circumstances in the region, there are changes in constitutions necessary to preserve peace. One of those instances is in North Macedonia where an agreement has been reached to try to bring North Macedonia into transatlantic institutions and into the European Union that would require them to change their constitution to recognize the rights of minority groups inside the country.

“Tell me a little bit about what the tangible benefits are that North Macedonia would receive by joining the EU. Why is it really important for them to move forward to sort of settle their differences with Bulgaria in order to be able to get into the European Union?”

CHOLLET: “Well, North Macedonia and again, I’m glad you’re going to be able to stop there next week. We hosted here the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of North Macedonia just a few weeks ago, I know that they were able to meet with many of you. They’re a terrific partner. They’re a NATO ally. They’re a regional leader. Mr. Escobar participated in EU led talks in Ohrid, which is a city in North Macedonia on Kosovo and Serbia.

“It’s self-evident for a small country like North Macedonia with so much to offer the benefits that would be derived from them joining the European Union. Now they’ve got to make some tough decisions in terms of constitutional changes, which they’re being asked to make. They’re willing to make those changes, but the politics are tough and what they need to hear from all of us is our support for them making these changes, which seem minor but are politically quite difficult and that will help unlock the next phase of their EU accession process.”

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Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Joe Manchin

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Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy

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Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito

Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King is cosponsoring a bipartisan bill that would help millions of Americans improve or create their credit scores. The Credit Access and Inclusion Act would permit the reporting of rent, telephone, and internet bills to credit agencies, allowing Maine people who pay their bills on time to build a positive credit history. This expansion would help those currently without credit scores establish them based on daily household payments.

“When you’re trying to rent an apartment, open a credit card, or lease a car, the first question you’re asked is ‘how is your credit’ – but not all your basic monthly payments are included in this process. If you pay your bills on time, you should be able to show creditors your track record of being responsible and on schedule,” said Senator King. “The Credit Access and Inclusion Act will help millions of Americans build credit scores that better reflect their responsible financial decisions. This is a bipartisan, commonsense step to remove barriers that prevent hardworking Maine people from accessing essential opportunities.”

Approximately 26 million Americans are “credit invisible,” meaning they lack credit records or history of traditional payments like student loans, car loans, or mortgage payments. Having thin credit makes economic mobility difficult and hampers an individual’s ability to purchase a home, take out student loans, buy a car, or even get a job. The Credit Access and Inclusion Act allows credit bureaus to collect payment data for services not traditionally factored into credit reporting like rent, internet, phone, electricity, and utility payments. Factoring these payments into credit reporting would expand credit histories and generate credit scores for consumers who were previously “unscoreable.”

Along with Senator King, the Credit Access and Inclusion Act is supported by Senators Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), and Katie Britt (R-Ala.).

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Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

WASHINGTON–U.S Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, on Thursday spoke on the U.S. Senate floor to debunk the myths and untruths about the end of Title 42.

Murphy called out Republicans who rooted for chaos on the border while, in reality, the U.S. saw fewer crossings than expected: “[M]y sense is that there were a lot of conservatives out there and a lot of haters of President Biden who were kind of rooting for chaos at the border, were hoping that there was just going to be this overwhelming flood of crossings and apprehensions at the border when Title 42 was lifted. Here’s maybe the most important thing to say: it didn’t happen. In fact, if you look at the number of people who were showing up at the southwest border, right before Title 42 expired, and I will admit that that number was elevated, we have seen half as many people crossing in the last four days as were crossing right before Title 42, expired. 4,000, 5,000 people, that is still a lot of people per day who are being apprehended at the border. But it does not match the doomsday predictions that many on the right were making.”

On Republican fear mongering about immigrants, Murphy said: “This is Donald Trump’s Department of Justice, released a study that found ‘undocumented immigrants had substantially lower crime rates than native born citizens and legal immigrants across a range of felony offenses.’ That’s the truth. It’s Donald Trump’s truth. And in fact, people who come to this country, they’re legal immigrants or without documentation, are not committing crimes at a greater rate than natural born Americans. That doesn’t excuse our broken system. That is not an argument to continue to allow so many people to come to this country without documentation. It just means that we shouldn’t set on fire these arguments that we have something unique to fear. Why? Because these people are coming to the United States for a better life. These people are coming to the United States to flee terror and torture, persecution, violence and economic destitution.”

Murphy debunked four myths that Republicans have peddled in Congress and in the media. First, Murphy explained why President Biden could not keep Title 42 in place: “Interestingly, the only restriction that Republicans wanted to keep in place was the one at the border that stopped people from coming into the United States that look different than them. The pandemic is over. Title 42 can’t stay in place. The President doesn’t have the legal authority to continue to turn people around and deny them the right to apply for asylum. And so it is just not true that this is President Biden’s choice.”

Second, he cited evidence that border crossings were not at an all-time low during the Trump administration: “[J]ust before the pandemic, when President Trump was in office, we had a historically high number of crossings. In 2019, 800,000 people showed up at the border that was twice the number for the previous decade on average. During President Obama’s time in office and the first few years of President Trump, about 400,000 people were showing up. Then in 2019, the numbers spiked to 800,000. They go down for one year, but they came back up as soon as the worst of the pandemic abated. And so it’s just not true that this problem was a creation of President Biden’s swearing in.”

Third, he outlined the steps President Biden took to prepare for Title 42 to end: “President Biden surged thousands of troops to the border, he put more asylum officers there, he moved Border Patrol, he signed agreements with Mexico in which Mexico agreed to take a certain number of individuals who are coming from countries like Venezuela and Cuba. And he implemented a really tough new asylum rule. A rule that frankly, many people on his political left say went beyond his statutory authority. But that rule says that you actually cannot apply for asylum at the border unless you’ve applied beforehand in a safe third country or you’ve made an appointment. That’s a really innovative, tough new approach to try to reduce the number of crossings and presentations at the border.”

Finally, he highlighted how Congress’s failure to pass immigration reform has made it near impossible for presidents of both parties to manage the border: “We, through our inaction, have left president after president, Republican and Democrat with a mess, because our laws don’t work, our immigration system is broken. And yet, we blame the president for failing to be able to work miracles out of a system that has been fundamentally rendered ineffective.”

Murphy concluded: “[P]art of the reason that I’m down here on the floor today trying to correct these myths and untruths is because I think it is a necessary predicate in order for us as a body, Republicans and Democrats, to sit down and talk about solving this problem. The lack of action in Congress has left President Biden an impossible task. He’s done the best that he conceivably can with a set of broken laws, but instead of spreading these myths and often outright lies about what’s happening at the border and the consequences of lifting Title 42, we should as a body instead, do our job and fix our broken immigration laws.”

On Sunday, Murphy joined NBC’s Meet the Press with Chuck Todd to discuss the prospect for bipartisan immigration reform in the wake of Title 42’s expiration.

A full transcript of his remarks can be found below:

“One of the benefits of sitting in the chair, as the senator from Maine is currently, is that you get to hear a wide variety of views from our colleagues, and I have had the opportunity over the past several weeks while sitting in the chair to hear my Republican colleagues talk about their concerns regarding the lifting of Title 42. They are concerns that are very often shared, in many respects, by Democrats as well.

“But it’s really important that we level set the facts when we’re talking about what’s happening at the border right now, as the pandemic authority to stop people from applying from asylum is as required by law being lifted. It’s really important that we understand that in this debate, there’s a lot of spinning, there’s a lot of myths. There are some just outright mistruths that are being spread about what’s happening at the border and what has been happening at the border. And so I’m down on the floor just for a few minutes today to try to talk about a short list of those myths and untruths that are being spread sometimes on this floor, but very often on social media and on cable news, so that we can find a way to have a functional conversation between Republicans and Democrats of good faith who actually want to make progress.

“First, my sense is that there were a lot of conservatives out there and a lot of haters of President Biden who were kind of rooting for chaos at the border, were hoping that there was just going to be this overwhelming flood of crossings and apprehensions at the border when Title 42 was lifted. Here’s maybe the most important thing to say: it didn’t happen. In fact, if you look at the number of people who were showing up at the southwest border, right before Title 42 expired, and I will admit that that number was elevated, we have seen half as many people crossing in the last four days as were crossing right before Title 42, expired. 4,000, 5,000 people, that is still a lot of people per day who are being apprehended at the border. But it does not match the doomsday predictions that many on the right were making.

“So I think it’s just important to acknowledge that fact because if you read the newspapers, if you paid attention to cable news, you would have thought that the minute that Title 42 ended there was going to be a doubling, a tripling of the number of people who showed up at the border. That didn’t happen. In fact, 50% less people are showing up.

“Now that may not hold. I can’t promise that that’s the future trajectory. But I’m going to tell you a story today about why that happens. And it’s connected to things Joe Biden did.

“The second level setting exercise I want to engage in is this idea that we should be in just lockdown fear of all these people who are coming to the United States at the southern border, that there is something uniquely dangerous about immigrants writ large, but more specifically undocumented immigrants. And this is a trope that’s been around for as long as the United States has existed that we should fear immigrants coming to this country. But we now have data to tell us whether or not people who are coming to this country as immigrants or people who are even coming to this country as undocumented immigrants are a risk, a threat to the United States compared to natural born citizens.

“This is a study that Donald Trump’s Department of Justice released. This isn’t Joe Biden, this isn’t Barack Obama. This is Donald Trump’s Department of Justice, released a study that found ‘undocumented immigrants had substantially lower crime rates than native born citizens and legal immigrants across a range of felony offenses.’ That’s the truth. It’s Donald Trump’s truth. And in fact, people who come to this country, they’re legal immigrants or without documentation, are not committing crimes at a greater rate than natural born Americans. That doesn’t excuse our broken system. That is not an argument to continue to allow so many people to come to this country without documentation.

“It just means that we shouldn’t set on fire these arguments that we have something unique to fear. Why? Because these people are coming to the United States for a better life. These people are coming to the United States to flee terror and torture, persecution, violence and economic destitution. There are criminals amongst their midst. There are individuals who end up committing crimes, but at no greater rate of offense than people who were born in this country. It’s just important to acknowledge that.

“I want to talk about four of these myths very quickly. The first one is that President Biden had the authority to keep Title 42 in place. That’s just not true. For the better part of the last two years, Republicans, conservatives, the broader right has been pillorying President Biden for not lifting COVID authorities fast enough. The pandemic’s over, the right says, why do we still have these restrictions on our on our movement? Why are there still restrictions on air travel?

“Interestingly, the only restriction that Republicans wanted to keep in place was the one at the border that stopped people from coming into the United States that look different than them. The pandemic is over. Title 42 can’t stay in place. The President doesn’t have the legal authority to continue to turn people around and deny them the right to apply for asylum. And so it is just not true that this is President Biden’s choice. And if you are a constitutionalist, if you are somebody that believes that the president cannot and should not exceed his constitutional statutory authority, then you have to support the lifting of Title 42. Now we could change the law, and there are proposals here to do that. But President Biden can’t keep Title 42 in place any longer than he declares a broader public health emergency.

“The second myth is, and I’ve heard this from some of my colleagues her, is that everything was great under President Trump, and it exploded under President Biden. In fact, sometimes you hear this stat: that crossings were at a historic low under President Trump. Well, that is true to the extent that gas prices were at a historic low under President Trump. Because crossings were at a historic low for one year, for 2020 when we were in the middle of the teeth of the pandemic, and nobody was going anywhere. Yes, during that period of time, when we shut down the border, when nobody in the United States was moving, when nobody in Mexico was moving, we did have a relatively low number of crossings.

“But just before the pandemic, when President Trump was in office, we had a historically high number of crossings. In 2019, 800,000 people showed up at the border that was twice the number for the previous decade on average. During President Obama’s time in office and the first few years of President Trump, about 400,000 people were showing up. Then in 2019, the numbers spiked to 800,000. They go down for one year, but they came back up as soon as the worst of the pandemic abated. And so it’s just not true that this problem was a creation of President Biden’s swearing in. Numbers were abnormally high right before the pandemic, and they started jumping back up once the pandemic started to lessen in its severity.

“The third myth is that President Biden didn’t prepare for the end of Title 42. That’s also not true. And I gave you that statistic to show that in fact, crossings right now are half what they were right before Title 42. expired. I can’t divine all the reasons for that, and maybe those numbers are temporary, but it is definitely true that President Biden has taken extraordinary steps to be ready for this moment even while Congress refused to act and give them any help. President Biden surged thousands of troops to the border, he put more asylum officers there, he moved Border Patrol, he signed agreements with Mexico in which Mexico agreed to take a certain number of individuals who are coming from countries like Venezuela and Cuba.

“And he implemented a really tough new asylum rule. A rule that frankly, many people on his political left say went beyond his statutory authority. But that rule says that you actually cannot apply for asylum at the border unless you’ve applied beforehand in a safe third country or you’ve made an appointment. That’s a really innovative, tough new approach to try to reduce the number of crossings and presentations at the border. A step that, frankly, President Trump didn’t even entertain. So it is just not true to say the President Biden hasn’t done anything.

“In fact, he’s taken extraordinary steps to try to be as ready as he can, which leads me to the fourth and final myth, which is that this is just all President Biden’s problem. It’s not. It’s our problem. We haven’t significantly updated the immigration laws of this country since the 1980s or 90s. It’s been 30 years since we have changed the laws of this nation to reflect the changing nature of migration globally and the changing nature of migration to the United States.

“We, through our inaction, have left president after president, Republican and Democrat with a mess, because our laws don’t work, our immigration system is broken. And yet, we blame the president for failing to be able to work miracles out of a system that has been fundamentally rendered ineffective.

“And let’s be very clear, Republicans have had ample opportunity to fix the laws of this nation. In 2013, when the presiding officer and I got to the Senate, there was a deal on the table to fundamentally and comprehensively reform our immigration laws. Republicans in the Senate joined with Democrats to get that done, but the Republican Speaker of the House refused to have a vote on it in the House. Since then, there have been a number of efforts to reach out and try to find compromise with Republicans. And it has generally been the Republican Party writ large that has decided that there’s too big a political cost for them to pay in trying to find common ground on immigration reform.

“Now, I say that that is a position of the Republican Party writ large because I do know and believe there are individual Republican senators in this body who do want to find compromise, who do want to recognize that this cannot be solved by any president, so long as the laws of this nation don’t provide resources to move asylum claims faster, don’t give Border Patrol what they need, don’t allow enough people to come into this country through legal pathways.

“And part of the reason that I’m down here on the floor today trying to correct these myths and untruths is because I think it is a necessary predicate in order for us as a body, Republicans and Democrats, to sit down and talk about solving this problem. The lack of action in Congress has left President Biden an impossible task. He’s done the best that he conceivably can with a set of broken laws, but instead of spreading these myths and often outright lies about what’s happening at the border and the consequences of lifting Title 42, we should as a body instead, do our job and fix our broken immigration laws.

“I yield the floor.”

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Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chair of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), alongside U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (D-Va.) and Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-Va.), on Thursday reintroduced the Keeping All Students Safe Act, legislation to protect students from dangerous seclusion and restraint discipline practices in school. 

The Keeping All Students Safe Act would make it illegal for any school receiving federal taxpayer money to seclude children and would ban dangerous restraint practices that restrict children’s breathing, such as prone or supine restraint. The bill would also prohibit schools from physically restraining children, except when necessary to protect the safety of students and staff. The bill would provide training for school personnel to address school-expected behavior with evidence-based, proactive strategies, require states to monitor the law’s implementation, and increase transparency and oversight to prevent future abuse of students. 

According to a yearlong investigation by Hearst Media, federal data show incidents of restraint and seclusion happen on average at least 2,300 times per school day, and impact upwards of 102,000 students each academic year. There were at least 417,693 instances of restraint and seclusion in the 2017-18 school year, as many students are repeatedly subjected to those interventions. However, thousands of schools decline to report their numbers and thousands report zero cases, which is unlikely to be true.

“It’s hard to believe, but there are thousands of kids who are being put in solitary confinement or having their hands bound as punishment for misbehavior at school. These practices are downright dangerous and completely ineffective ways to address behavioral issues in the classroom. Instead, they leave students – predominately students with disabilities – traumatized, injured, or even worse. No school should be allowed to lock kids alone in rooms, pin them to the ground, or strap them to a chair. Our legislation would set a strong federal standard to keep students safe, while also giving educators the tools to better address disruptive behavior with evidence-based, trauma-informed strategies,” said Murphy.

“It is absolutely unacceptable that children across this country, disproportionately students of color and students with disabilities, face dangerous seclusion and restraint practices. It is our moral responsibility to ban these practices once and for all,” said Sanders.

“No student should be locked alone in a room away from their classmates or forcibly restrained in a dangerous way. It’s time we finally ban these dangerous discipline practices in our schools—and that’s exactly what our commonsense bill does,” said Murray. “I’m proud to reintroduce the Keeping All Students Safe Act to protect students across our country from these unacceptable practices. We know that students with disabilities, students of color, and boys are disproportionately hurt by these practices, and I am going to keep pushing to get our bill signed into law to help ensure every kid can learn in a safe, nurturing environment.”

“Every child deserves a safe environment in which to learn and grow, but far too often students – particularly Black students and those with disabilities – are subjected to abusive disciplinary actions. Many states have recognized the harm of seclusion and inappropriate restraint in the classroom and banned these practices, but this remains a national civil rights issue that needs a federal solution,” said Beyer. “Our bill would enact nationwide protections for students by creating minimum safety standards for schools and by providing training and support to school personnel. By enacting this legislation, Congress can ensure that children have a safer learning environment in every American school.”

“Every child should be safe and protected while in school. Sadly, that is not always the case. Despite evidence that seclusion and restraint practices make schools less safe, thousands of students are still subjected to these dangerous discipline methods. Students of color and students with disabilities are disproportionately impacted by these harmful practices,” said Scott. “A quality education cannot be achieved without a safe learning environment. The Keeping All Students Safe Act would establish nationwide requirements and provide states and teachers the support they need to improve their schools’ culture by using evidence-based interventions.”

Joining Murphy, the Keeping All Students Safe Act is co-sponsored in the Senate by U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.),  Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

“We are pleased to see the reintroduction of the Keeping All Students Safe Act, transformative legislation from Senators Chris Murphy, Bernie Sanders, and Patty Murray and Representatives Don Beyer and Bobby Scott that would protect students from dangerous seclusion and restraint discipline practices in schools,” said Denise Forte, President and CEO of The Education Trust. “The evidence is clear that seclusion and restraint practices are not only ineffective and dangerous, but they are also disproportionately used against students of color and students with disabilities. Every child deserves to learn in a safe and healthy school environment, and to be protected from violent policies that threaten their physical and mental well-being.”

“COPAA appreciates the leadership and commitment of Sen. Murphy, Chairman Sanders, Sen. Murray, Rep. Beyer and Ranking Member Scott to ensure that every child is safe, protected, and prepared to learn in school. Restraint and seclusion are dangerous, traumatizing, and can cause death. Currently, our children are stuck in a crisis with no management plan. We are a modern nation that has developed evidence-based practices that can help. School leaders and teachers must receive the resources and training they need to make schools conducive to learning; and, where all can build trusting relationships. The Keeping All Students Safe Act makes this possible,” said Denise Marshall, CEO, Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA).

This legislation is supported by the Access Speech, Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint, Allies for Independence, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, American Association of People with Disabilities, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Association of University Centers on Disabilities, Autism Society of America, Autistic People of Color Fund, Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network (AWN), Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, BoysTown, Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy & Practice, Caring Across Generations, Center for Disability Rights, Center for Learner Equity, Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, CommunicationFIRST, Consortium for Constituents with Disabilities, Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), Council for Learning Disabilities, Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation, Crisis Prevention Institute, Dignity in Schools Campaign, Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, Epilepsy Foundation, Exceptional Needs Today, Family Voices, Futures Without Violence, Heart-Strong International, Higher Education Consortium for Special Education, Learning Disabilities Association of America, National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), National Autism Association, National Center for Parent Leadership, Advocacy, and Community Empowerment (National PLACE), National Center on Learning Disabilities (NCLD), National Council on Independent Living, National Disability Rights Network, National Down Syndrome Congress, National Down Syndrome Society, National Juvenile Justice Network, National PTA, Neurodivergent Liberation Coalition, Respect ABILITY Law Center, SPAN Parent Advocacy Network, TASH, Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children, The Advocacy Institute, The Arc, The Daniel Initiative, The Education Trust, The Federal School Discipline and Climate Coalition (FedSDC), The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, The MEHRIT Centre, Ukeru Systems, Unsilenced; State Organizations: Broadreach Training and Resources, Ltd., Maine Parent Federation, New Jersey Family Voices, The Arc of Northern Virginia; Individuals: Kimberly Knackstedt, Ph.D., Director of the Disability Economic Justice Team and Disability Economic Justice Collaborative, and Senior Fellow at the Century Foundation, Oregon State Senator Sara Gelser Blouin

Full text of the bill available HERE.

A one-pager of the bill available HERE.

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Source: United States Senator for Maryland Chris Van Hollen

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