S. 2850 · 116th Congress
Smarter Sentencing Act of 2019
Key: what the circles and colors mean
Each circle is a bill. The ring fills as it moves through Congress:
Under the number: the Yea · Nay count of its final (or latest) recorded vote. On a member's page, the small badge is how that member voted: Y Yea / Aye, N Nay / No, P Present, – Not voting.
Gold and violet are only for Yea and Nay; they never mean a party. A member's party is the letter on their photo.
Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 116th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.
R
LeeSponsor12 cosponsors · 10 D, 2 I
D
Baldwin
RB
D
Blumenthal
CB
D
Booker
RD
D
Durbin
KH
D
Harris
AK
I
King
TK
D
Kaine
PL
D
Leahy
RW
D
Wyden
SW
D
Whitehouse
EW
D
Warren
BS
I
Sanders11 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
This bill modifies mandatory minimum prison terms for defendants who commit certain drug-related offenses.
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in Senate · Nov 13, 2019
Smarter Sentencing Act of 2019
This bill modifies mandatory minimum prison terms for defendants who commit certain drug-related offenses.
First, the bill reduces the mandatory minimum prison term for defendants who manufacture, distribute, or possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Specifically, it reduces mandatory minimums
- from 10 years to 5 years for a first-time high-level offense (e.g., one kilogram or more of heroin),
- from 15 years to 10 years for a high-level offense after one prior felony drug offense,
- from 5 years to 2 years for a first-time low-level offense (e.g., 100 to 999 grams of heroin), and
- from 10 years to 5 years for a low-level offense after one prior felony drug offense.
Additionally, the bill modifies the application of mandatory minimum prison terms for certain defendants who import or export a controlled substance. Specifically, it
- makes existing mandatory minimums inapplicable to a defendant who functions as a courier; and
- establishes new, shorter mandatory minimum prison terms for a courier.
The Department of Justice must report on and publish all federal criminal statutory offenses. Specified federal agencies, departments, and entities must report on and publish criminal regulatory offenses that they enforce.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: Smarter Sentencing Act of 2019
Latest action (Nov 13, 2019): Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement · Origin: Senate · Introduced: Nov 13, 2019
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.