The Senate Judiciary Committee will be working on a trio of sentencing reform bills Thursday. Committee Chair Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) is attempting to create a comprehensive sentencing bill that will attract bipartisan support.
The Smarter Sentencing Act expands mandatory minimum sentencing reform by making the 2010 Fair Sentencing Act retroactive and reducing the length of many mandatory sentences by half.
The Recidivism Reduction and Public Safety Act would increase good time credits for rehabilitative programs, while the Justice Safety Valve Act would allow judges to sentence below mandatory minimums if certain circumstances are present.
The bills are backed by a broad coalition of civil rights, drug reform, and faith groups, as well as conservative and law enforcement and victim rights groups.
The hearing is set for 10:00am EDT Thursday. You can watch it online here [15].