WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Dave Joyce (OH-14) announced that Americans for Prosperity has endorsed his Harnessing Opportunities by Pursuing Expungement (HOPE) Act. Joyce’s bipartisan legislation, which he introduced with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), would provide federal grants to help state and local governments establish and improve expungement programs for cannabis offenses.

“This bill is a commonsense reform that will help many Americans move out from under the shadow of their prior cannabis convictions and achieve a true second chance,” said Brent Gardner, Chief Government Affairs Officer of Americans for Prosperity. “People arrested, charged, or convicted of a cannabis offense will carry that record with them for the rest of their lives and it will bar them from securing the employment, housing, and education they need to advance in life. Many state leaders have realized that imposing such unnecessary and lifelong barriers harms both public safety and local economies. Allowing more individuals to have the burden of their criminal record lifted off their shoulders is both smart on crime and soft on taxpayers. We look forward to working with you to advance the HOPE Act in the 117th Congress and hope that your colleagues on both sides of the aisle will join you in support of this important legislation.”

“Americans for Prosperity is dedicated to removing the barriers preventing people from achieving their American dream, which is exactly what the HOPE Act is designed to do,” said Congressman Joyce. “By empowering states to expunge minor cannabis offenses, my bill will help countless Americans achieve their full personal and professional potential. This endorsement highlights how incremental reforms such as the HOPE Act not only pave the way for the eventual end of federal cannabis prohibition, but also have the ability to build the bipartisan consensus needed to become law and actually achieve the reform that the American people are calling for.”

You can read the full endorsement letter here. Additional organizations that have endorsed the HOPE Act include: the U.S. Cannabis Council, NORML, CPEAR, National Cannabis Roundtable, Last Prisoner Project, NCIA, Drug Policy Alliance, and the National Medicinal Cannabis Coalition.

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