Senators Unveil Revised Bipartisan Prison, Sentencing Legislation
Revised First Step Act is endorsed by President Trump
WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee
Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)
and Senators Mike Lee (R-Utah), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)
and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) today introduced revised legislation to reduce
recidivism, promote public safety and improve fairness in sentencing of federal
crimes. The revised First Step Act,
S.3649, has been endorsed
by President Donald Trump.
“The Senate’s revised First Step Act is a landmark opportunity to increase fairness in prison sentencing and improve safety in American communities by helping inmates bound for release become productive members of society. This bill represents the culmination of a lot of hard work by lawmakers and advocates from across the political spectrum. President Trump has shown real leadership to advance these important reforms – the most significant in a generation. We have a real opportunity to make these important reforms a reality before the end of the year,” Grassley said.
“This compromise represents years of work by a bipartisan coalition in order to take the next step in making our federal drug sentencing laws fairer. These reforms help relieve our overcrowded prisons, redirect funding to addiction treatment, help keep our communities safe, and restore faith in our justice system. This is the best chance in a generation to make meaningful changes in our federal drug sentencing laws. We cannot squander it,” Durbin said.
The revised First Step Act combines prison reform
proposals that overwhelmingly passed in the House of Representatives earlier
this year with sentencing reform provisions from the broadly bipartisan Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act,
which was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in February.
The comprehensive
package aims to reduce crime by helping low-risk inmates prepare to successfully
rejoin society through participation in proven recidivism reduction and
professional development programs. It
also improves fairness in prison sentences by recalibrating certain mandatory
minimum sentences, granting greater discretion for judges in sentencing of
low-level, nonviolent drug crimes and clarifying congressional intent on
sentencing enhancements for certain crimes involving firearms. It also
preserves the maximum potential sentences for violent and career criminals. The
legislation also allows petitions for retroactive application of the Fair Sentencing Act to be considered on
an individual basis to reduce sentence disparities between crack and powder
cocaine offenses.
Under this
legislation, any savings generated by the reforms would automatically be
reinvested into law enforcement programs to further reduce crime and improve community
safety.
More details
are available in the fact
sheet and section-by-section
summary.
The
legislation is supported by a wide range of stakeholders from key law
enforcement organizations to reform advocates. Supporters include:
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Grassley has
long led bipartisan efforts in the Senate to advance comprehensive criminal
justice reform, and encouraged
President Trump to play a leading role in the effort early in his
administration. Grassley and others have worked
closely with the White House and stakeholders to develop reforms
aimed at improving public safety and opportunities for those who have paid
their debt to society.
Senate
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pledged
to hold a vote on the compromise proposal provided that it has 60 votes in the
Senate. Along with Grassley, Durbin,
Lee, Booker, Graham and Whitehouse, this proposal is currently cosponsored by
senators Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Amy
Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.).
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