Cory moved to Newark after law school and started a nonprofit organization to provide legal services for low-income families, helping tenants take on slumlords. In 1998, Cory moved into “Brick Towers” in Newark, which eventually became a housing project. Cory lived there until the housing project was demolished in 2006.
Cory still lives in Newark's Central Ward today, where he sees first-hand many of the challenges he's working to solve in Congress, such as lack of access to affordable health care, environmental injustice, food insecurity, and our broken criminal justice system.
Cory believes that health care is a human right – no American should go without the quality, affordable care they need and deserve. Throughout his time in the Senate, he has been a leader in the fight to protect the Affordable Care Act, while also championing proposals to build upon the law, increase access to care, and lower costs. As one of the Senate’s strongest proponents for improving health equity, Cory has advanced efforts to tackle our nation’s maternal mortality crisis, expand research and public health activities for sickle cell disease, and increase access to addiction treatment.
Dating back to his time as a tenant's rights lawyer, City Council Member, and Mayor of Newark, Cory has seen first-hand the devastating effects of our broken criminal justice system and has worked tirelessly to find common-sense solutions to end mass incarceration and help people with criminal records successfully reintegrate into society. In his first term as a Senator, he authored and helped pass the First Step Act, the most sweeping set of criminal justice reforms in a generation, and the Fair Chance Act, a landmark bill making it easier for people to find jobs after they’ve been released from prison.
As the newest democratic member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Cory has brought attention to the most vulnerable people on the planet that often don’t make the headlines, including those suffering from ongoing civil war, famine, and the effects of climate change. He has been a leader in ensuring our diplomatic corps increases its diversity and is well-resourced to meet the enormous challenge of executing U.S. policy in every corner of the world.
Cory Booker believes in economic justice and the fundamental promise that if you work hard in America, America should work for you. His work as a Mayor and U.S. Senator has focused on the singular goal of fostering greater economic mobility and opportunity for all Americans. Toward this end, Cory has advocated for innovative policy measures to reward work through higher wages and better benefits, advance entrepreneurship and innovation in every corner of the country, and crack down on the soaring cost of rent and predatory practices like overdraft fees and outsourcing, that disproportionately hurt low-income Americans. He is also the author of landmark “baby bonds” legislation to fight intergenerational poverty and the enormous racial wealth gap by providing every American seed money at birth.
Cory believes all Americans should have access to clean water and clean air, which is why he is a leader in developing federal policies that lift up low-income communities, indigenous communities, and communities of color, which disproportionately bear the burden of environmental pollution and exploitation. The existential threat of climate change will exacerbate these inequities unless we act boldly, which is why Cory is an original cosponsor of the Green New Deal.
As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Cory has dedicated his public service career to protecting and advancing the rights of all Americans, especially those most vulnerable. He is committed to ensuring all people are free from discrimination, regardless of their race, ethnicity, sex, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or age, and he has championed dozens of bills in the Senate affirming these rights.
Cory believes that a student’s zip code should not determine the educational and economic trajectory of their lives. During his time in the Senate, Cory has worked to ensure that all students have access to a high quality education. From making sure our nation’s teachers and early childhood educators have the resources and support they need, to improving educational outcomes for vulnerable students, educational equity has been central to his work.
Cory believes we need to substantially increase the federal investment in our nation’s transportation infrastructure in order to help rebuild New Jersey’s aging roads, bridges, rail systems, airports, and seaports. In the Senate, he has been a leader in advancing the critical Gateway Project, which will rebuild the crumbling rail lines between New Jersey and New York Penn Station. He has also worked to help deliver additional resources to New Jersey through his work on the Environment and Public Works Committee, which oversees funding for federal highways.
Criminal Justice Reform
The United States is home to almost five percent of the world's total population but about 25 percent of the world's prison population. The U.S. imprisons more people than any other country on earth and spend about a quarter of a trillion dollars each year on a bloated, backward criminal justice system.
Over the past 30 years, the federal prison population has grown by 800 percent, an increase largely due to overly-punitive sentences for nonviolent, low-level drug crimes. In fact, there are more people incarcerated in America today for drug offenses alone than all the people who were incarcerated nationwide in 1970. And these policies have disproportionately impacted people of color and lower-income communities.
In addition to undermining the potential of millions of Americans and exacerbating poverty, our criminal justice system places a huge burden on taxpayers who foot the bill. In 2012, the average American contributed $230 to corrections expenditures.
For those Americans released from prison, the physical barriers encountered behind bars are often replaced by the economic barrier of trying to find a job with a criminal record. The American Bar Association identified over 46,000 so-called "collateral consequences" that hold people back long after they complete their sentence and return to society. These consequences can include suspensions of the right to vote, as well as various obstacles to obtaining a job, and prohibitions on obtaining business license, housing and education.
Senator Booker is working with a bipartisan coalition to develop common-sense legislative proposals aimed at making America's criminal justice system fairer and more effective
Sentencing Reform
After working for nearly two years on bipartisan criminal justice reform efforts in the Senate, in fall 2015 Senator Booker joined with a bipartisan group of Senators to introduce the historic Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act (SRCA). This bill is designed to correct sentencing disparities and reduce mass incarceration of nonviolent offenders by reducing the use of mandatory minimum sentencing. In addition, the bill includes key provisions based on Senator Booker's proposals from his bipartisan Record Expungement Designed to Enhance Employment Act (REDEEM Act). If it becomes law, the SRCA would limit solitary confinement for juveniles in federal custody and would provide a pathway for the sealing and expungement of certain nonviolent juvenile records.
Employment and Reentry
To begin to address the fact that 75 percent of those released from prison are rearrested within three years of their release, Senator Booker introduced the Fair Chance Act, a bipartisan and bicameral piece of legislation that aims to give people convicted of non-violent crimes a fair chance at employment once they have paid their debt to society. The bill would prohibit federal agencies and federal contractors from making a criminal history inquiry at the outset of the employment application process and reserve the inquiry until an applicant receives a conditional offer of employment. This would allow non-violent ex-offenders the opportunity to be seen by prospective employers for all of who they are rather than only the mistake that they made.
School-to-Prison Pipeline
For too many children, zero tolerance discipline policies in schools across America serve as a gateway to the criminal justice system and a lifetime of devastating collateral consequences. Currently, over 75% of America's roughly 14,000 public school districts employ some form of a zero-tolerance discipline policy. These zero-tolerance policies mandate expulsion or referral to a juvenile or criminal court with no regard for circumstance. This pipeline also disparately burdens students of color and students with disabilities.
Senator Booker is committed to ending the school to prison pipeline and ensuring all students are able to learn in supportive environments. Senator Booker joined with his colleagues in introducing the Supportive School Climate Act of 2015 to support state efforts for positive behavioral interventions and to improve youth outcomes.
Juvenile Justice
In addition to introducing the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act, Senator Booker introduced the bipartisan MERCY Act. The MERCY Act would prohibit the solitary confinement of juveniles tried in the federal system and held in pretrial facilities and juvenile detention facilities, except as a temporary response where the individual poses a risk of harm to him or herself or to others.
Law Enforcement
Senator Booker believes it is critically important for law enforcement officials to have the resources and support they need to do their jobs safely and effectively. He is committed to pursuing policies that protect police officers and the public.
Senator Booker has worked with fellow New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez to bring more federal funding home to our state for hiring and supporting police officers.
Senator Booker and Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced the Police Reporting of Information, Data and Evidence (PRIDE) Act to improve data reporting and help federal, state and local officials better protect the public and law enforcement officers.
Gun Violence
Senator Booker believes it is incumbent on Congress to pass comprehensive, common sense legislation that mandates background checks on all firearm sales, including sales between private parties.
Senator Booker also supports taking more robust steps to help keep firearms away from the mentally ill, and to combat illegal gun trafficking.
Senator Booker took to the Senate floor in July 2016 to support a filibuster aimed at getting the Senate to act on common sense policies to reduce gun violence, including closing the so-called "terror gap" loophole and implementing universal background checks on all gun purchases.
Immigration
Senator Booker believes that comprehensive immigration reform is critical to protecting our national security, growing our economy and protecting the dignity of all Americans.
Senator Booker is committed to Congress's passage of comprehensive immigration reform. He supports a course of action that offers a reasonable path to citizenship while doing more to secure our country's borders. A common sense approach to immigration will improve economic conditions in America, foster a more secure nation, and help us live up to our ideals and values.
Infrastructure and Transportation
New Jersey drives the regional economy through its network of highways, bridges, tunnels, airports and the largest port on the East Coast. With more than 130 million consumers located within a day's drive from New Jersey and more than 38,000 miles of public roads in our state, smart investments in transportation networks are vital to New Jersey and the region's economic growth. Unfortunately, our nation is falling behind other countries when it comes to investment in our infrastructure. Senator Booker understands we need to reverse these trends. Increasing the resources we devote to modernizing infrastructure will make our economy and our country more attractive to investment, and will help create jobs. It will also help New Jersey commuters save time and money.
As the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety and Security, Senator Booker works every day to develop smarter federal strategy for our nation's transportation network that improves efficiency and safety.
Senator Booker's efforts helped to jumpstart the Gateway Project, a massive infrastructure project which seeks to update the 100 year old Hudson River passenger rail tunnel complex, a critical transportation artery for the northeastern United States that is especially critical for New Jersey rail commuters.
Senator Booker has also authored bipartisan legislation that boosts investment in the Northeast Corridor and makes needed reforms to Amtrak. The Railroad Reform, Enhancement, and Efficiency Act was included in the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act and signed into law by the President in December 2015.
Senator Booker has also been a strong advocate for highway and auto safety. He authored the Truck Safety Act in 2015, which improves safety on America's highways, and provides strong oversight through his role on the Senate Commerce Committee.
Connecting Communities
Senator Booker recognizes that access to the Internet is no longer a luxury; it's a necessity to anyone seeking to participate in the modern economy. From powering small businesses, to fueling academic achievement, to spurring U.S. innovation, technology has the potential to serve as a transformative and democratizing force for so many Americans.
Senator Booker introduced the Community Broadband Act to preserve the rights of cities and municipalities seeking to invest in creating their own broadband networks. This idea has been lauded by technology experts and local governments as a solution to make Internet access more widely available and affordable and was highlighted as part of the Obama Administration's broadband initiative.
Senator Booker also introduced the Broadband Adoption Act which leverages the existing Lifeline Universal Service Program to make it easier for low-income individuals to access broadband. This legislation aims to close the digital divide and empower individuals to reap the social and economic benefits of being connected.
Supporting Tech Innovation
Senator Booker is a strong advocate for net neutrality, believing that the free and open Internet is the best platform to allow new businesses and innovations to thrive and compete on level playing field.
Recognizing the unprecedented growth in connected devices, Senator Booker has joined with colleagues in supporting policies that promote the Internet of Things. He introduced a bipartisan resolution that was passed unanimously by the Senate calling for a national strategy to spur innovation in connected device technology. Senator Booker has also called for comprehensive policies to support increasing the availability of wireless spectrum, a scarce resource that fuels connectivity. To this end, he introduced the bipartisan Wi-Fi Innovation Act to help meet the growing demand for spectrum and support greater technological innovation in the United States.
Supporting Service Members and Veterans
Our men and women in uniform have always stepped up when our country needed them most, and Senator Booker is steadfast in his commitment to standing for up for those presently serving in our nation's armed services, for our veterans, and for the families of those who are serving or who have served.
Senator Booker is working hard to address the needs of New Jersey's veterans and their families, including the systemic challenges that have left veterans in New Jersey and throughout the country without access to quality health care. In 2014, Senator Booker worked with a Republican co-sponsor to pass legislation that further supports veterans with traumatic brain injuries. After hearing from New Jerseyans who were required to travel to out-of-state VA facilities, Senator Booker introduced an amendment to give veterans more healthcare options in their communities. Portions of this amendment were included in the Veterans' Access to Care Through Choice, Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014 that passed in the Senate in June 2014.
Recognizing that veterans in New Jersey and across the country possess extraordinary potential to succeed in entrepreneurial and leadership roles, Senator Booker introduced the Strengthening Technical Assistance, Resources, and Training to Unleash the Potential of Veterans Act (STARTUP-Vets) Act, which provides technical support for veterans seeking to begin small businesses.
Senator Booker will continue to fight for our nation's service members and work tirelessly to ensure that they get the support they deserve when they return home.
The U.S. has come a long way since the depths of the Great Recession, but many families across New Jersey and America are still struggling to make ends meet. Senator Booker is committed to working across the aisle to develop policies that leverage America's competitive edge in innovation and technology and build a stronger middle class. Senator Booker believes that the federal government has an important role to play in helping American businesses - particularly small businesses - succeed and create more jobs.
Entrepreneurship
Senator Booker supports increasing investment in advanced manufacturing and technological development to ensure that the U.S. remains at the forefront of global innovation. The United States cannot afford for other countries to continue to lure U.S. firms abroad and take human capital and advanced technologies with them.
As a member of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, Senator Booker understands the importance of business accelerators when it comes to supporting New Jersey entrepreneurs and providing opportunity for growth.
He introduced the Startup Opportunity Accelerator (SOAR) Act to direct $25 million in funding over five years to a Growth Accelerator Fund, which would allow startup businesses to compete for grants to help their businesses grow.
Senator Booker has hosted small business forums across New Jersey for businesses to learn about federal resources available to them and help them connect with other entrepreneurs to share best practices.
Workforce
Senator Booker is committed to fighting unemployment by promoting policies that grow our economy, provide Americans with job opportunities, and arm them with the skills they need to succeed. Among other efforts, he has partnered with a Republican colleague to introduce the bipartisan Leveraging and Energizing America's Apprenticeship Programs (LEAP) Act.
The LEAP Act will better equip workers with the skills needed to fill available jobs by incentivizing an expansion of the nation's apprenticeship programs through a new federal tax credit for employers. The legislation would strengthen our nation's economy by enhancing our pool of skilled workers, and strengthen American families by providing access for many to high quality jobs. Senator Booker believes encouraging the growth of paid apprenticeship programs is a good investment because our future competitiveness and economic strength depend on the innovation and skill of our workforce. A 2012 survey from Mathematic Policy Research found that individuals who complete registered apprenticeship programs earn over $240,000 more during their careers than people who did not participate in such programs, and the return on investment for every federal government dollar spent on registered apprenticeship programs is $27 in tax revenues.
While apprenticeships have been proven as a successful means of job creation in other countries, they compose only 0.2 percent of the current workforce here in the United States. Apprenticeships can and should serve as an effective workforce development strategy in America.
Manufacturing
Manufacturing has long been a cornerstone of the American economy. Senator Booker has sought to strengthen this important economic pillar by promoting small business manufacturing investment. Senator Booker introduced the Scale-Up Manufacturing Investment Company (SUMIC) Act of 2015, which would improve access to capital that small manufacturing firms need to grow.
Small Businesses
New Jersey is home to over 700,000 small businesses across a wide array of industries, including construction, manufacturing, retail, science and technology, and health care. Nationally, small businesses represent 64 percent of net new private sector jobs, making entrepreneurs and small business leaders essential to delivering services and creating the job opportunities that are critical to our economy and local communities.
As a member of the Small Business Committee, Senator Booker is focused on helping New Jersey small businesses succeed. Through close coordination with the U.S. Small Business Administration, Senator Booker is working to bring renewed focus to the issue of accessing capital, and, particularly, the challenges facing many women and minority small business owners.
In Senator Booker's Newark and Camden offices, New Jerseyans and their families can request help with Small Business Administration related questions and issues. If you or a loved one would like assistance from Senator Booker's office with a casework issue, click here.
Wage Fairness
Senator Booker believes that anyone who is willing to work hard and play by the rules should be able to succeed in America. Senator Booker supports raising the minimum wage because he knows that when a family is able to earn a fair wage, they are able to create a more stable and healthier living environment for their children, to invest in our national economy, and to be involved in their communities.
Raising the minimum wage could cut the number of Americans living in poverty, jumpstart consumer spending and create jobs.
Consumer Protection
Senator Booker believes that consumers have the right to be treated with dignity and respect and that predatory and harmful debt collection tactics are unacceptable.
Senator Booker joined with a Republican colleague to introduce the bipartisan Stop Debt Collection Abuse Act of 2015, which would strengthen protections for ordinary consumers against predatory debt collection practices by collectors hired by the federal government.
Senator Booker is also working with his colleagues on addressing predatory practices and fees employed in the maintenance of prepaid cards, particularly for the formerly incarcerated.
Consumer protection around tax time is also an issue that Senator Booker is working to tackle. He introduced the Tax Refund Protection Act that aims to regulate tax preparers to ensure that low-income Americans are not subject to products that will drain their savings or tax refund.
Social Security and Retirement Security
Senator Booker is working to ensure that the promise of Social Security is preserved for generations to come.
He understands the vital role that Social Security plays in the lives of many New Jerseyans and knows that Social Security is an absolutely essential cornerstone of Americans' retirement plans. Senator Booker signed on as a cosponsor of the Seniors and Veterans Emergency (SAVE) Benefits Act of 2015, which would help address the lack of a cost-of-living adjustment for Americans in 2016.