Iowa's Joni Ernst among senators joining criminal justice reform bill

Republican Iowa Senator Joni Ernst was one of eight additional senators who announced support for the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2017 on Monday.

The bill was sponsored initially by Iowa's Senator Chuck Grassley in October of last year. The total number of senators cosponsoring the bill has risen to 20.

The act is a bipartisan bill which would reform federal sentencing laws and provide incarcerated individuals with better preparation to reenter the workforce and their community.

The minimum sentences for select non-violent drug offenses would be reduced in the event of the bill's passing; however, it does not eliminate the sentences or decrease the maximum penalties.

Read the full story in the February 15 edition.