Civil liberties and criminal justice reform groups are celebrating the introduction of a new bill in the U.S. Senate on Thursday that would overhaul the nation’s money bail system which critics have long decried for incarcerating people regardless of guilt or innocence but simply because of their inability to pay.

Introduced by Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.), the Pretrial Integrity and Safety Act of 2017 is being applauded for addressing at least a portion of the pervasive inequality found throughout the U.S. justice system.

“Too many people in this country must spend weeks, months, or even years in jail waiting for trial only because they can’t afford bail.” —Kanya Bennett, ACLU

“Too many people in this country must spend weeks, months, or even years in jail waiting for trial only because they can’t afford bail,” said Kanya Bennett, legislative counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, which has endorsed the bill. “Even though these people are innocent in the eyes of the law, they’re punished, deprived of their freedom with disastrous consequences for their families and their lives.”

The bill, which can be read in full , would provide funding and federal guidelines to incentivize state and local governments to either scrap their money bail systems or greatly reform them.

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