Contact: Caroline Rabbitt (202) 224-2353
Washington, D.C.- Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today released the following statement on the Housing and Urban Development Department's intent to use the statistical theory of disparate impact to overrule local housing providers' decisions to deny housing on the basis of criminal history:
"There are no lengths to which this administration won't go to support convicted criminals. While those who have served their debt to society and completed the rehabilitation process deserve a second chance, it should not be at the expense of law-abiding citizens. Whether releasing violent felons early from prison, preventing employers from asking about an applicant's criminal record, or now blocking landlords from deciding whether to rent to someone who may pose a threat to their property and the surrounding community, these policies are part of a disturbing pattern. And they send the wrong message to criminals in Arkansas and across the country. The United States is a nation of laws-and we should be looking for ways to better protect those who abide by those laws, not reward those who break them."
