Drug Sentencing Reform and Cocaine Kingpin Trafficking Act of 2007

A bill to target cocaine kingpins and address sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine.

6/27/2007--Introduced.
Drug Sentencing Reform and Cocaine Kingpin Trafficking Act of 2007 - Amends the Controlled Substances Act and the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act to increase the amount of a controlled substance or mixture containing a cocaine base (i.e., crack cocain more...e) required for the imposition of mandatory minimum prison terms for crack cocaine trafficking to eliminate the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine.
Eliminates the five-year mandatory minimum prison term for first-time possession of crack cocaine. Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review and amend, if appropriate, its sentencing guidelines for trafficking in a controlled substance to reflect the use of a dangerous weapon or violence in such crime and the culpability and the role of the defendant in such crime, taking into account certain aggravating and mitigating factors. Directs the Attorney General to make grants to improve drug treatment to offenders in prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities. Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to establish demonstration programs to reduce the use of alcohol and other drugs by substance abusers while incarcerated and until the completion of parole or court supervision. Increases monetary penalties for drug trafficking and for the importation and exportation of controlled substances. Authorizes appropriations to the Departments of Justice, the Treasury, and Homeland Security for FY2008-FY2009 for the prosecution of, and for supporting the prosecution of, high-level drug offenses.

Sponsor

• Sen. Joseph Biden [D, DE]
• and 6 Co-Sponsors
  • Sen. Hillary Clinton [D, NY]
  • Sen. Richard Durbin [D, IL]
  • Sen. Russell Feingold [D, WI]
  • Sen. John Kerry [D, MA]
  • Sen. Carl Levin [D, MI]
  • Sen. Barack Obama [D, IL]
  close

Users Tracking [1]

Users who are tracking this bill are also tracking:

• H.R.666 [1]
• H.R.4880 [1]
• H.R.5501 [1]
• H.Res.666 [1]
• H.R.1050 [1]
• H.R.2030 [1]
• H.R.4040 [1]
• S.1383 [1]
• H.Con.Res.17 [1]

Committees

• Senate Judiciary
• 1 more
  • Senate Judiciary
  close

Amendments

This bill has no amendments.

Amendments to S.1711

Number	Status	Purpose

---

Bill Status

Make a Bill Status Widget (What's this?)(Close help)

OpenCongress widgets allow you to display information about bills and issue areas on your own website or blog. First, select which bill or issue you want to track, then customize the appearance of the panel, and finally paste a simple chunk of HTML into your site. Now your community will have an easy, up-to-date way to track the status of important bills and issues in Congress.

Introduced		Voted on by Senate		Voted on by House		Considered By President		Bill Becomes Law
June 27, 2007

Related Bills:

• H.R.79
• H.R.460
• S.1383
• S.1685
• H.R.4545

Related Issue Areas:

• Criminal justice
• Administrative procedure
• Alcoholism
• Budgets
• 27 more
• Cocaine
• Congress
• Congressional investigations
• Congressional reporting requirements
• Crack (Drug)
• Criminal liability
• Drug abuse
• Drug abuse prevention
• Drug abuse treatment
• Drug law enforcement
• Drug traffic
• Executive departments
• Exports
• Federal aid to law enforcement
• Fines (Penalties)
• Firearms
• Imports
• Law
• Mandatory sentences
• Prosecution
• Rehabilitation of criminals
• Sentences (Criminal procedure)
• Sentencing guidelines
• Trade
• U.S. Sentencing Commission
• Violence
• Weapons

In the News

April 28, 2008 'Winter's Doctrine' on water rights still haunts the American West

Pete Domenici and Jeff Bingaman, the senior Republican and Democrat, respectively, from New Mexico, have brought the proposal forward in a bill, S. 1711 in ...

Source: Indian Country Today, NY
Was this article useful? Yes or No

Did you find this article useful? Your opinion counts - together, we're finding the very best news and blog coverage about Congress available on the web.

February 25, 2008 Crack the Disparity: Call the US Senate Now

Please take a few minutes to call your two US Senators and urge them to “eliminate the crack/powder disparity by supporting S. 1711, The Drug Sentencing ...

Source: Drug Policy Alliance, DC
Was this article useful? Yes or No

Did you find this article useful? Your opinion counts - together, we're finding the very best news and blog coverage about Congress available on the web.

February 13, 2008 Senator Biden Calls for an End to Crack/Powder Cocaine Sentencing ...

Biden urged his colleagues to support his legislation, S. 1711, the Drug Sentencing Reform & Cocaine Kingpin Trafficking Act, which would completely ...

Source: All American Patriots (press release)
Was this article useful? Yes or No

Did you find this article useful? Your opinion counts - together, we're finding the very best news and blog coverage about Congress available on the web.

2 more articles...
See highest rated news articles

Blog Coverage

April 28, 2008 Water Rights

Republican and Democrat, respectively, from New Mexico, have brought the proposal forward in a bill, S. 1711 in the Senate. It will have to meet with the approval of the full Congress, which would have to appropriate monies from the ...

Source: Indi Issues
Was this article useful? Yes or No

Did you find this article useful? Your opinion counts - together, we're finding the very best news and blog coverage about Congress available on the web.

April 25, 2008 3000 Crack Cocaine Sentences Reduced To Date

Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have signed on as co-sponsors to S. 1711, Joe Biden's equalization bill. That's not a good bill. Aside for providing massive amounts to fund the war on drugs, it expressly states the penalty ...

Source: TalkLeft
Was this article useful? Yes or No

Did you find this article useful? Your opinion counts - together, we're finding the very best news and blog coverage about Congress available on the web.

April 11, 2008 Hillary Proposes Eliminating 5 Year Mandatory Minimum Penalty for ...

Hillary signed as co-sponsor of one of the bills to eliminate the crack cocaine disparity, Joe Biden's S. 1711, some months ago. Obama signed onto the same bill recently. (Note: It is not the pending bill I would have signed onto as it ...

Source: TalkLeft
Was this article useful? Yes or No

Did you find this article useful? Your opinion counts - together, we're finding the very best news and blog coverage about Congress available on the web.

25 more posts...
See highest rated blog posts

Information made available by: