11/10/05
Mandatory minimums stripped from federal meth bill, H.R. 3889
By a vote of 31-0, the House Judiciary Committee on November 9, 2005 approved an amended version of H.R. 3889, the "Methamphetamine Epidemic Elimination Act," that, among other things, removed the worst mandatory minimum provisions from the bill. Most specifically, it eliminated the changes to the five and 10-year mandatory minimum sentences for methamphetamine offenses proposed in the original bill. These provisions would have swept up low-level addicts and sentenced them to kingpin-sized sentences.
Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, sponsored the amended version. Although he stated during the hearing that he still supports mandatory minimum sentences, he acknowledged that his substitute was a good compromise with key committee Democrats, including Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.). Members from both parties should be applauded for their work. Hopefully, it is a sign of good things to come in Congress.
H.R. 3889 now moves on to the full U.S. House of Representatives where it will likely be passed. There is a Senate methamphetamine bill, but it is very different and does not contain any sentencing provisions. Whether Congress can combine the two versions remains to be seen.
Regardless of the outcome, stripping the mandatory minimum provisions from H.R. 3889 is a major victory for FAMM along with other organizations that fought against this bill. FAMM would like to specifically thank our members who acted on our targeted e-alerts. By contacting your representative on the House Judiciary Committee, you not only helped stop bad sentencing provisions from becoming law, you told Congress that they need to be "smart on crime" to earn your vote.