Kennedy introduces bill to restore bipartisan decision-making at Sentencing Commission

WASHINGTON - Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today introduced the Consensus in Sentencing Act to require the U.S. Sentencing Commission to achieve bipartisan agreement to make major policy changes.

The legislation would amend 28 U.S.C. § 994(a) to require that amendments to the Sentencing Guidelines receive five votes from the Commission's seven voting members.

"The Sentencing Commission for decades strove to achieve bipartisan agreement when adopting amendments to the Sentencing Guidelines. In recent years, the Commission has lost its way and begun forcing through amendments on party-line votes. My bill would help the Sentencing Commission revive its consensus-building culture," said Kennedy.

Background:

• The Sentencing Commission is made up of seven voting members. No more than four members can belong to the same political party.

• In a sharp break from its traditional bipartisan practices, the Commission's current leadership has forced through several major policy changes to federal sentencing law on a party-line basis.

• The Commission is currently considering several other major proposed changes.

Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) cosponsored the legislation.

Full text of the Consensus in Sentencing Act is available here.