Laura Sager, National Campaign Director, FAMM
Laura joined FAMM’s staff in 1997 as Michigan project director. In that role she led FAMM’s media, coalition-building, and legislative campaign for reform of mandatory sentences. Her work gained statewide support and national media attention, resulting in the reform of one of the oldest and harshest mandatory sentencing laws in the nation in July 1998. As leader of this reform effort, Sager was interviewed by major newspapers across the nation and appeared on many national radio and television news programs, including a 60 Minutes II segment with Dan Rather.
In 1999, Laura received a tribute from both Michigan’s House of Representatives and Senate for her service to prisoners and their families and the Detroit Free Press called her move to Washington, “a gain for the nation, but a loss for Michigan.” In Virginia she successfully lobbied legislators to implement a “safety valve” for non-violent, first-time offenders facing draconian mandatory sentences under the “Substance Abuse Reduction Effort” or SABRE enacted in 1999.
Laura spearheaded the successful campaign to reform Michigan’s entire structure of mandatory minimum sentences and to repeal “lifetime probation.” Governor John Engler signed FAMM’s three-bill package into law on Christmas Day, 2002, ending the most Draconian mandatory minimum laws in the nation. Most recently, FAMM’s New Jersey campaign helped secure passage of a bill that created a new sentencing commission.
In her role as FAMM’s National Campaign Director, Laura heads FAMM’s sentencing reform campaigns in North Carolina, New Jersey and its ongoing Michigan initiative. She oversees all state legislative and organizing work by FAMM members across the U.S.
Laura has been interviewed hundreds of times by state and national print, radio and TV media on issues related to sentencing reform and has given presentations on sentencing reform campaign strategy to diverse public, private and governmental audiences across the country.