Press Releases

WASHINGTON, DC- Sullivan University in Louisville today hosted a forum on the REDEEM Act, the criminal justice reform legislation that has been introduced in the U.S. Senate by Sens. Rand Paul and Cory Booker. Sens. Paul and Booker participated in the forum via videoconference. Video of their remarks can be found here . "We still have, in many ways, two Americas, where people are treated differently," said Sen. Paul. "I don't think it's on purpose, but people are inadvertently treated differently. The racial outcome of the War on Drugs has disproportionately incarcerated folks. I think there...Read more

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., today introduced legislation that would allow American farmers to grow and profit from industrial hemp. The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2015 would remove federal restrictions on the domestic cultivation of industrial hemp. The bill would remove hemp from the Schedule I controlled substance list under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, and would define it as a non-drug so long as it contained less than 0.3 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Oregon and Kentucky are among twenty states that have...Read more

WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Rand Paul joins Senator Tim Scott's (R-SC) push for School Choice in America's education system. Senator Scott, a leading advocate for school choice in the United States Senate, yesterday filed a resolution supporting National School Choice Week. Senator Scott, a member of the Senate Education Committee, will also introduce his Creating Hope and Opportunity for Individuals and Communities through Education (CHOICE) Act later this month and host a significant event supporting school choice in early February (details to be released in the coming weeks). "As someone who...Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Sen. Rand Paul today introduced S.34, the Defend Israel by Defunding Palestinian Foreign Aid Act of 2015. This legislation will call for the immediate halt of U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority until it withdraws its request to join the International Criminal Court (ICC). Under the current U.S. law, America is prohibited from assisting the Palestinian Authority if it seeks ICC claims against Israel. Thus far, the Obama administration has not committed to taking any actions and appears disinclined to cut off aid. The bill text can be found below. "It is up to the new...Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Sen. Rand Paul today urged the Kentucky General Assembly to pass a constitutional amendment to restore the right to vote for many nonviolent felons in the Commonwealth who have completed their sentences. "The right to vote is among the most important rights that we have," said Sen. Paul. "No one should lose this right for life because they spent time in jail for a nonviolent crime. Restoring voting rights for those who have repaid their debt to society is simply the right thing to do. I urge the Kentucky General Assembly to continue moving this issue forward and place an...Read more