Criminal Justice Policy:
Early career (2004 - 2011: San Francisco DA)
Back on Track: 2005 - Launched “Back on Track” program, offering first-time (nonviolent) drug offenders a chance to avoid prison if they enrolled in education/ job training for 12 to 18 months. In 2009, the program reported that less than 10% of its participants re-offended (the program only had about 300 participants from 2005 to 2009). California’s overall re-offense rate (or recidivism) was 50-60%, so the program was seen as having a positive effect on drug offenders. Critics of the program point to limited independent studies and long-term evaluations of the program, which calls into question its effectiveness.
Attorney General of California (2011 - 2017)
Assembly Bill 109: 2011 - Harris backed Assembly Bill 109, an effort to relieve the population burdens on Californian state prisons. To achieve this, county prisons were directed to imprison criminals from their counties who were guilty of minor offenses (nonviolent and non-sexual). Counties received money to help manage the extra prisoners in their jails and create programs to help reduce recidivism. However, county jails reportedly became overburdened, resulting in reduced sentences. County jails suffered from inadequate infrastructure to properly house long-term stays. Some counties had better rehabilitation programs than others, leading to unequal outcomes.
2012 - Established the Human Trafficking Task Force and Privacy Enforcement Unit in California.
Proposition 47: 2014 - Harris backed Proposition 47, which reclassified nonviolent crimes (like drug possession and petty theft) from felonies to misdemeanors. This reduced state prison populations, which also led to reduced costs for prisons in California. Savings from these costs have reportedly been awarded to fund the “Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund” and the Board of State and Community Corrections grant program. Critics of Proposition 47 stressed that lighter sentencing on crimes such as drug possession, property crime, and theft results in communities having higher crime rates. Additionally, Proposition 47 has been blamed for contributing to high homeless populations, the rationale being that homeless offenders remained unincarcerated for offenses once deemed as felonies.
Assembly Bill 953: 2015 - Harris backed Assembly Bill 953, which addressed racial profiling by requiring Californian agencies to collect and report data on stops, searches, and arrests to achieve transparency and accountability within police departments. Critics argued that this additional spending to collect data would remove resources from policing duties.
U.S. Senator from California (2017–2021)
Justice in Policing Act: 2020 - Harriss co-sponsored the Justice in Policing Act after the death of George Floyd. This sought to ban police from using chokeholds and made it easier to hold officers accountable for misconduct by doing away with “qualified immunity.” Qualified immunity protects officers from certain lawsuits. Additionally, a database similar to Assembly Bill 953 was proposed. This bill was not passed.
Environmental Policy:
U.S. Senator from California (2017–2021)
Green New Deal: 2019 - Harris co-sponsored the Green New Deal, proposing a federal effort to combat climate change while creating jobs. A primary goal of the resolution was to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The net-zero goal has been an ongoing global goal in recent years and is frequently discussed at such meetings as the World Economic Forum. The Green New Deal pushed for -
A transition to 100% clean energy.
Decarbonizing transportation, building infrastructure, and agriculture.
Protecting and restoring ecosystems through sustainable agriculture, land use practices, and reforestation to improve biodiversity
The Green New Deal was not passed.
Criticism-
The Green New Deal faced criticism in these regards. . .
Overreach - Posed as an environmental action, the Green New Deal also included healthcare, affordable housing, and a federal job guarantee. With these policy inclusions, the resolution was seen as too politically broad, leaning more ideological than pragmatic. This gave opponents ammunition to deem the bill an unrealistic attempt to overhaul the entire economy rather than focus on climate change. Further, the resolution was more about government control over private enterprise.
Cost - Estimates surrounding how much required funding ranged from $50 to $90 trillion. As there were no clear funding mechanisms, the Green New Deal never outlined how such large-scale programs would be paid for. It was implied that funding would come from increased taxes on the wealthy, borrowing, and/or public investment. This made it hard to defend the GND as a financially viable option.
Social Justice - The Green New Deal attempted to push correcting historic wrongs done to low-income POC communities. This included job creation, urban environmental cleanup, and funding to combat climate crises by building protective infrastructure. However, critics argued that the resolution placed heavy emphasis on these urban areas, while advocates gave less attention to the needs of rural workers, particularly in fossil fuel-dependent industries, despite the deal's promise of broad opportunities. Advocates primarily highlighted the positive impacts the deal would have on urban POC communities, which became a central part of the public messaging.
Harris opposed offshore drilling and has co-sponsored bills to prevent new offshore oil drilling in federal waters.
Harris pushed for regulations on PFAS chemicals in drinking water. She pushed for higher standards to protect communities from PFAS contamination and for the EPA to regulate these chemicals under the Clean Water Act.
Healthcare Policy:
U.S. Senator from California (2017–2021)
Medicare for All - Harris co-sponsored Bernie Sanders’ ‘Medicare for All’ bill. First introduced in 2017, there have been evolving revisions of the same bill over recent years. The bill proposed providing healthcare to Americans via a government-run program. The program would cover visits, hospital stays, prescription drugs, mental health services, and more. The core principle was that the premium a person usually paid for insurance premiums would be baked into taxes, effectively eliminating private insurance. Harris’s view has evolved today to include an avenue for private enterprise to exist alongside a government option.
Maternal CARE Act 2018 - Harris introduced the Maternal CARE Act to fund implicit bias training for healthcare providers to reduce racial bias in the treatment of pregnant women. In improving the outcomes for at-risk mothers, the core principle was to reduce racial disparities in maternal health outcomes. Racial bias relates to patient concerns being disregarded/ downplayed by health professionals. An example of racial bias - Serena Williams, the world-renowned tennis player, developed a life-threatening pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lungs) after giving birth via C-section. Having a history of blood clots, Williams recognized her symptoms and immediately alerted her medical team. However, her concerns were initially dismissed by the nurses, who suggested she was confused due to medication. It is proposed that because of her race, medical professionals disregarded her worry.
Foreign Policy:
Vice President (2021- Present)
Harris gained the majority of her foreign policy experience during her time as Vice President. This includes -
As Vice President, Harris was tasked with addressing migration from Central America, and her efforts involved fostering economic development in Northern Triangle countries (El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras) to address the root causes of migration. She gave a direct address during one of these visits, which became her famous “Do Not Come” speech.
Promoting human rights in China and countering Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region. Harris has been vocal about countering China's influence, especially in cybersecurity and technological competition.
Advocacy for the Ukrainian war against Russia. In support of providing Military aid to Ukraine and sanctions on Russia.
Immigration Policy: Early career (2004 - 2011: San Francisco DA)
As the DA of San Francisco, Harris abided by San Fran’s “sanctuary city” status, this meant law enforcement did not cooperate with federal immigration authorities in detaining or deporting undocumented immigrants for immigration violations alone. Her time as DA overlapped with a prominent case - the 2008 murder of Tony Bologna and his two sons. They were killed by an Edwin Ramos, who was undocumented and had had previous encounters with law enforcement but was not deported due to sanctuary city status. This sparked debate over sanctuary status, but Harris maintained that it was necessary.
Attorney General of California (2011 - 2017)
DACA: 2012 - Harris supported DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). This program protected undocumented young people who were brought to the U.S. as children. They could stay in the country, work legally, and avoid deportation for a renewable period.
California TRUST Act: 2013 - Harris backed the California TRUST Act, which limited the legal limits of local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities. It prevents local police from holding undocumented immigrants for deportation unless they are convicted of a serious crime.
Education Policy:
Early career (2004 - 2011: San Francisco DA)
2006 - Truancy action initiative: This tried to reduce absenteeism in San Francisco public schools. Harris believed absenteeism correlates with future criminal behavior. The program targeted parents of regularly absent children, holding them legally responsible for their child’s attendance. The program provided early intervention to families of these children via social services, including counseling, housing assistance, and support for mental health and substance abuse issues within the home. Based on limited result data provided, there was a 30% reduction in truancy, as reported by Harris in 2010 when she was running for California Attorney General. The program expanded once she was elected to Attorney General. Some parents did receive charges, but fines and warnings were reportedly the ‘go-to’ punishment. Policy critics point to a disproportionate impact on low-income minority families, which stresses individual responsibility in the face of systemic issues.
Civil Rights Policy:
Early career (2004 - 2011: San Francisco DA)
2004 - Harris opposed capital punishment as a violation of civil rights. In her first year as San Francisco DA, she faced scrutiny when she did not seek the death penalty for David Hill, who had killed a San Fran police officer named Isaac Espinoza. She would seek a life sentence without parole as an alternative to the death penalty.
Proposition 8: 2008 - Harris opposed Proposition 8, which was an initiative to ban same-sex marriage by defining marriage as between a man and a woman in the state constitution.
Attorney General of California (2011 - 2017)
Proposition 36: 2012 - Harris backed Proposition 36, which adjusted California life sentencing law. A person convicted of three felonies, regardless of severity, would automatically receive a life sentence. Prop 36 ensured nonviolent or less serious third offenses received more proportional sentences.
Vice President (2021- Present)
For the People Act: Harris has pushed the ‘For the People Act’ with no success. It is a bill posed to enable voters by implementing automatic voter registration and same-day registration, allowing past felons to vote, and allowing early voting + voting by mail. It mandates that political ads must state who they are being funded by and that campaigns must provide funding transparency. Lastly, it pushes to set up an independent commission to draw congressional lines and prevent gerrymandering.
Gun Control Policy:
Attorney General of California (2011 - 2017)
2013 - Harris advocated for $24 million in funding to enhance the Armed Prohibited Persons System (APPS), which tracks and removes firearms from individuals no longer legally allowed to possess them.
2014 - Supported the Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVROs) law, which allowed family members and law enforcement to temporarily remove firearms from individuals deemed a danger to themselves or others.
U.S. Senator from California (2017–2021)
Harris supported lifting the 1996 Dickey Amendment, which was a law passed that prohibits federal money from researching gun violence. Before the Dickey Amendment, the CDC funded research into gun violence as a public health issue. Dickey was pushed successfully by pro-gun lawmakers and NRA backers in the name of conducting neutral scientific research. However, overall research has been effectively chilled as it can not receive adequate funding.
2020 Presidential Campaign
Harris proposed using executive action within her first 100 days if Congress did not pass gun reform legislation.
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