Politiparty
Politiparty

119th Congress Crime and Law Enforcement

S. 3959: Smarter Sentencing Act of 2026

Introduced

  1. Introduced (completed)Mar 2, 2026
  2. Passed Senate (not reached)
  3. Passed House (not reached)
  4. To the President (not reached)
  5. Became law (not reached)

Summary

Introduced in Senate, Mar 2, 2026

This bill reduces statutory mandatory minimum penalties for certain drug offenses, requires reporting on the impact of cost savings from the reductions, and establishes a public database of federal criminal offenses.

First, the bill reduces statutory mandatory minimum penalties for two types of offenders: (1) individuals who manufacture, distribute, or possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance; and (2) couriers who import or export a controlled substance.

Second, the bill requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to report on how the reduced expenditures on federal corrections and cost savings from the reductions in mandatory minimum sentences help to reduce overcrowding in federal prisons, increase investment in law enforcement and crime prevention, and reduce recidivism.

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Third, the bill requires DOJ and federal agencies to report on and create public databases of all criminal offenses—criminal statutory offenses and criminal regulatory offenses.

Written by the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.

Roll calls

0 votes on this bill

No roll call votes have been held on this bill.

Amendments

0 offered

No amendments were offered to this bill.

Cosponsors

10

Bipartisan support.

Who scored on this bill

6 points earned
  1. 1Richard Durbin D-IL SponsorDrew cross-party cosponsors, introduced2 events+6
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Introductions and cosponsorships count toward weekly caps and show no points.

Other bills by Richard Durbin

History

  1. Mar 2, 2026Introduced in the Senate by Richard Durbin.
Show the full action history (2 actions)
  1. Mar 2, 2026Introduced in Senate
  2. Mar 2, 2026Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text: CR S733-734)