The Senate Committee on the Judiciary [official website] on Thursday advanced [summary] S 1917 [text], which will reduce minimum sentences for some drug related crimes.

The bill, also known as the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2017, reduces the minimum sentence from 20 years to 15 years for individuals who have a previous serious drug felony conviction or serious violent felony conviction and were later convicted of manufacturing, distributing or dispensing controlled substance of a certain quantity. It also reduces the minimum life sentence to 25 years for individuals who were previously convicted of two or more felony drug offenses. The changes affect all pending cases, and can be applied to past cases at the discretion of the sentencing court.

The bill also sets minimum and maximum sentences for domestic violence offenses. Minimum sentences for providing goods or services to terrorists and fentanyl offenses are also established by the bill.

The bill will also establish the National Criminal Justice Commission. The purpose of the commission is to:

(1) undertake a comprehensive review of the criminal justice system;
(2) make recommendations for Federal criminal justice reform to the President and Congress; and
(3) disseminate findings and supplemental guidance to the Federal Government, as well as to State, local, and tribal governments.

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions [official website] has previously released a policy urging [JURIST report] more aggressive drug sentencing in May. Sessions has called [NPR report] the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2017 a “grave error.”