WASHINGTON – During a House Judiciary Committee markup today, Congressman Mike Bishop (MI-08) and his colleagues passed the Sentencing Reform Act of 2015 (H.R. 3713), a bill that would reduce certain mandatory minimums for drug offenses and allow judges overseeing non-violent drug cases to have greater discretion in determining appropriate sentences. It also contains important limitations on retroactivity to ensure serious violent criminals serve their full sentences in federal prison.
“I applaud my House Judiciary colleagues for coming together in support of this bipartisan reform to our nation’s federal sentencing guidelines,” said Rep. Bishop. “This fiscally and socially responsible legislation takes the right steps to provide flexible sentencing for those who deserve it, while still ensuring the safety of our families and local communities remains the number one priority. We can and must do more to address the problems in our criminal justice system today, and the Sentencing Reform Act will be an important part of that process.”
The Sentencing Reform Act of 2015 – authored by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (VA-06); Ranking Member John Conyers (MI-13); Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations Subcommittee Ranking Member Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18); Rep. Raul Labrador (ID-01) and Rep. Mike Bishop – is part of the House Judiciary Committee’s ongoing bipartisan criminal justice reform initiative.
To view the Committee’s new Sentencing Reform Act video, which features Rep. Bishop, go here or click the image below.
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