Fair Sentencing Act of 2010
Latest action · Aug 3, 2010 Became Public Law No: 111-220.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedOct 15, 2009
- Passed SenateMar 17, 2010
- Passed HouseJul 28, 2010
- To the PresidentJul 29, 2010
- Became lawAug 3, 2010Public Law 111-220
Summary
(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the Senate on March 15, 2010. The summary of that version is repeated here.)
Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 - Amends the Controlled Substances Act and the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act to: (1) increase the amount of a controlled substance or mixture containing a cocaine base (i.e., crack cocaine) required for the imposition of mandatory minimum prison terms for trafficking; and (2) increase monetary penalties for drug trafficking and for the importation and exportation of controlled substances.
Eliminates the five-year mandatory minimum prison term for first-time possession of crack cocaine.
Directs the United States Sentencing Commission to: (1) review and amend its sentencing guidelines to increase sentences for defendants convicted of using violence during a drug trafficking offense; (2) incorporate aggravating and mitigating factors in its guidelines for drug trafficking offenses; (3) promulgate guidelines, policy statements, or amendments required by this Act as soon as practicable, but not later than 90 days after the enactment of this Act; and (4) study and report to Congress on the impact of changes in sentencing law under this Act.
Directs the Comptroller General, within one year after the enactment of this Act, to report to Congress analyzing the effectiveness of drug court programs under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968.
Cosponsors 23
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Oct 15, 2009 to Apr 15, 2010; 10 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-MN | Al Franken | Original | Oct 15, 2009 |
| D-PA | Arlen Specter | Original | Oct 15, 2009 |
| D-MD | Benjamin L. Cardin | Original | Oct 15, 2009 |
| D-MI | Carl Levin | Original | Oct 15, 2009 |
| D-CT | Christopher J. Dodd | Original | Oct 15, 2009 |
| D-DE | Edward E. Kaufman | Original | Oct 15, 2009 |
| D-MA | John F. Kerry | Original | Oct 15, 2009 |
| D-VT | Patrick J. Leahy | Original | Oct 15, 2009 |
| D-WI | Russell D. Feingold | Original | Oct 15, 2009 |
| D-RI | Sheldon Whitehouse | Original | Oct 15, 2009 |
| D-OH | Sherrod Brown | Oct 27, 2009 | |
| I-VT | Bernard Sanders | Nov 2, 2009 | |
| D-IL | Roland Burris | Nov 3, 2009 | |
| D-IA | Tom Harkin | Nov 18, 2009 | |
| D-VA | Jim Webb | Jan 26, 2010 | |
| R-IA | Chuck Grassley | Mar 15, 2010 | |
| D-CA | Dianne Feinstein | Mar 15, 2010 | |
| R-TX | John Cornyn | Mar 16, 2010 | |
| R-AL | Jeff Sessions | Apr 13, 2010 | |
| R-SC | Lindsey Graham | Apr 13, 2010 | |
| R-UT | Orrin G. Hatch | Apr 13, 2010 | |
| R-OK | Tom Coburn | Apr 13, 2010 | |
| D-MN | Amy Klobuchar | Apr 15, 2010 |
Committees 3
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Judiciary Committee | Referred Oct 15, 2009Markup Mar 11, 2010Reported Mar 15, 2010 |
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred Mar 18, 2010 |
| Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee | Referred Jun 15, 2010 | |
| House | Energy and Commerce Committee | Referred Mar 18, 2010 |
Actions 22
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Aug 3, 2010Signed by President.
- Aug 3, 2010Became Public Law No: 111-220.
- Jul 29, 2010Presented to President.
- Jul 28, 2010Mr. Scott (VA) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Jul 28, 2010Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H6196-6204)
In the Congressional Record 6
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extensions | Debate and remarks E1665 | Bob Inglis R-SC | Sep 16, 2010 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S6866 | Edward E. Kaufman D-DE | Aug 5, 2010 |
| Extensions | Debate and remarks E1498 | Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. D-GA | Jul 30, 2010 |
| House | Debate and remarks H6196–H6204Text printed H6196 | Daniel E. Lungren R-CA, F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. R-WI, James E. Clyburn D-SC, Keith Ellison D-MN, Lamar Smith R-TX, Robert C. "Bobby" Scott D-VA, Ron Paul R-TX, Sheila Jackson Lee D-TX, Steny H. Hoyer D-MD | Jul 28, 2010 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S1680–S1683Text printed S1682Amendments S1682 | Patrick J. Leahy D-VT, Richard J. Durbin D-IL | Mar 17, 2010 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Congressional Budget Office cost estimates 2
- Mar 19, 2010S. 1789, Fair Sentencing Act of 2010<p>Cost estimate for the bill as passed by the Senate on March 17, 2010</p>
- Mar 19, 2010S. 1789, Fair Sentencing Act of 2010Cost estimate for the bill as passed by the Senate on March 17, 2010
CRS reports 14
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 14
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R45558 | The First Step Act of 2018: An Overview | Report | Mar 4, 2019 |
| IF10573 | Federal Correctional Reform and the First Step Act of 2018 Archived | Resource | Dec 28, 2018 |
| R45074 | Mandatory Minimum Sentencing of Federal Drug Offenses | Report | Jan 11, 2018 |
| R44492 | The Sentencing Reform Act of 2015 (H.R. 3713): A Summary | Report | May 16, 2016 |
| R44246 | Sentencing Reform: Comparison of Selected Proposals Archived | Report | Oct 26, 2015 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 265 | Drug Sentencing Reform and Cocaine Kingpin Trafficking Act of 2009 | Related bill | May 21, 2009 |
Titles 6
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to restore fairness to Federal cocaine sentencing.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Fair Sentencing Act of 2009
- Short Titles as Reported to Senate
- Fair Sentencing Act of 2010
- Short Titles as Passed House
- Fair Sentencing Act of 2010
- Short Titles as Passed Senate
- Fair Sentencing Act of 2010
- Short Titles as Enacted
- Fair Sentencing Act of 2010
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement.
Text 5
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- —Enrolled Bill
- Mar 18, 2010Referred in House
- Mar 17, 2010Engrossed in Senate
- Mar 15, 2010Reported to Senate
- Oct 15, 2009Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
