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Citizens, Students Journey To Tallahassee To Support Rep. Hart’s Bill
BY JULIA JACKSON
Tampa Bay area citizens and students from Chamberlain High School joined State Repre- sentative Dianne Hart on Tuesday, October 15, 2019, in Tallahassee in support of House Bill (HB) 189, sponsored by Rep. Hart.
Senator Randolph Bracy, State Rep- resentative Dianne Hart, and Demo- cratic Leader Kionne McGhee held the press conference on HB 189, on the steps of the Capitol.
HB 189 is a retroactive gain-time bill with a
reduction from 85% to 65% for non-violent first-time offenders.
Senator Bracy will Sponsor the legislation in the Senate. Leader McGhee is a Prime Co- Sponsor. HB 189 revises provisions relating to a prisoner's required minimum term of impris- onment and the conditions under which in- mates may be granted a one-time award of 60 days of incentive gain-time.
“I want to thank the constituents who came from all around the State of Florida in support of this Bill,” Rep. Hart stated. (Photos by Julia Jackson)
Among those who joined Rep. Dianne Hart (center) at the press conference in Tallahassee on Tuesday, October 15, 2019 were: State Rep. Barbara Watson, State Rep. Fentrice Driskell, Senator Ralph Bracy, State Rep. Kamia Brown, State Rep. Susan Valdez, Democratic Leader Kionne McGhee, Mona Judge, Lil- lie Nichols, Paulette Woodard, Delores Green, Julia Jackson, Ralph Hawkins and Cozetta Poe.
Rep. Hart was accompanied by students from Chamberlain High School: Raliyah Turner, Donovan Golden, Jordin Johnson, Quiannae Towns, Nikita Washington, T. J. Pearson and Suramone H. Jones.
Elected Officials File Retroactive Gain Time Bill
REP. DIANNE HART
On Tuesday, State Rep. Dianne Hart (D-Tampa) and House Democratic Leader Kionne L. McGhee (D-Cutler Bay), filed House Bill 189. If passed, the bill would retroactively drop time served from 85% to 65% of court-order sentencing. The bill revises provisions relating to a prisoner’s required mini- mum term of imprisonment and the conditions under which inmates may be granted a one-time award of 60 days of incentive gain time.
Senator Randolph Bracy (D-Orlando) will spon- sor the Senate companion to the bill.
Rep. Hart said, “While I was very proud to support The Florida First Step Act, I can’t ignore that HB 7125 gets no one out of prison. In a state that spends $2.7 billion a year to lock up almost 100,000 peo- ple, we can’t keep kicking the can down the road on reducing the number of people in prison. Most people who are now in-
KIONNE L. McGHEE Democratic Leader
carcerated will eventually be our neighbors, and we want to give them every chance possi- ble to turn their lives around.
“This legislature now has the opportunity to support meaningful reform with HB 189 and save the state taxpay- ers over $860 million dollars in the process -- real money which could be used for en- hanced rehabilitative program- ming, drug and mental health treatment, educational ad- vancement, salary raises, and increased prison safety within our largest state agency.”
Rep. McGhee said, “In 1998, we were promised a war on crime. As a result, Florida required inmates to serve 85% of their time. Years later, re- search has shown that the pol- icy change failed to reduce recidivism.
“I agree that dangerous in- mates must be punished. How- ever, criminal justice reforms should provide a second chance for non-violent offend- ers to be rehabilitated.”
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