Leahy Announces Sept. 18 Hg. On Mandatory Minimum Sentencing; witnesses incl. Sen. Rand Paul…Leahy's cosponsor of the Justice Safety Valve Act

Press Release

The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing next week on the issue of mandatory minimum sentences, Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Thursday.

The hearing titled "Reevaluating the Effectiveness of Federal Mandatory Minimum Sentences" will include testimony from Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who with Leahy is the author of the Justice Safety Valve Act of 2013. The bipartisan Paul-Leahy bill allows judges greater flexibility in sentencing federal crimes where mandatory minimums are unnecessary, counterproductive, and waste taxpayer dollars.

"Mandatory minimums are costly, unjust and do not make our country safer," said Leahy, a former prosecutor. "The states are leading the way in reversing this wrong-headed approach to law enforcement, and it is time for the federal government to follow that example. I look forward to next week's discussion on this most important issue."

Leahy is also a cosponsor of the Smarter Sentencing Act, a bill authored by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), which would expand sentencing discretion and reduce mandatory minimums in non-violent drug cases. The Justice Department announced last month that it is reevaluating the effectiveness of mandatory minimum sentences in some drug-related cases.

The hearing will be held on Wednesday, September 18, at 10 a.m. in Room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. Member statements, witness testimony, and a live webcast will be available online on September 18. Additional witnesses will be announced in the coming days.

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