Blog posts to continue after vacation August 12, 2009
Posted by FairSentencing in : Current News , add a commentI just wanted to update you that I’m leaving on vacation for about one month and won’t have Internet access until my return. The plan is to resume blog posts sometime in the middle of September.
Thank you, everyone, and I’ll update then!
All Politics Is Local
Posted by FairSentencing in : Current News , add a commentJennifer Seltzer Stitt, Federal Legislative Affairs Director of FAMM, gives us an update:
There is a saying that all politics is local. This is never more true than in August, when members of Congress leave the seclusion of Washington and go home to talk to and hear from their constituents: people like you.
During this month, your voice is more powerful and more important than any lobbyist or special interest in Washington, D.C. Over the next few weeks, your representative will be available to meet with you in his or her district office and listen to you at town hall meetings and small community gatherings. Let your representative know what you think!
It would be great if they could hear from you about two bills I told you about last month. One is H.R. 3245, a bill that would eliminate the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine. The other is H.R. 3327, a bill that would allow courts to sentence below a mandatory minimum. This is an amazing opportunity to move these bills forward.
Meetings, town halls and community gatherings only make a difference if you speak out! It is easy to do. We have step-by-step instructions to help you take action in your community this month. Each of these resources is in Adobe .pdf format. Check out:
Unlike Vegas, what happens at home doesn’t stay at home. What happens at home can help advance legislation in Washington. Help us make reform a reality by making it the priority to contact your representative at home. Make a call, schedule a visit, or attend an event and talk about sentencing reform with your representative.
Two Bills Would Dramatically Improve Current Sentencing Practices August 3, 2009
Posted by FairSentencing in : Current News , 4 commentsIt’s been a hectic – but exciting – couple of weeks on Capitol Hill as members of Congress wrap up to leave for summer vacation. FAMM has been focusing it’s attention on two bills that are snaking their way through Congressional committees and could change the face of sentencing.
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H.R. 3245, the Fairness in Cocaine Sentencing Act of 2009, was introduced on July 16 to make crack and powder cocaine penalties equal. The bill was voted out of a House subcommittee on July 22, and approved by the full House Judiciary Committee on July 28. It now goes to the full House of Representatives for a vote, sometime this fall. There is not yet a companion bill in the Senate, but we hope there will be a bill to equalize crack and powder cocaine sentences soon.
- H.R. 3327, The Ramos-Compean Justice Act of 2009, was introduced with bipartisan support on July 24, and voted out of the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security on July 28. The bill would allow courts to sentence below the statutory minimum sentence if the mandatory minimum is longer than necessary to achieve the purposes of punishment. The next stop for the bill is the full House Judiciary Committee.
Both of these bills would dramatically improve current sentencing practices but both have some miles to go before they become law. Of course, with your help, we will get them there!
Visits and calls to your representatives, and attending Town Hall meetings will let your members of Congress know that they have constituents who care about these issues and are following them.
Remember, as the old expression goes, “The squeaky wheel gets the grease,” so let’s squeak long and loudly to change sentencing laws!
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