July 21, 2021–Due Process Institute led a bipartisan coalition urging the House Judiciary Committee to support the Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law (EQUAL) Act. The EQUAL Act (H.R. 1693) would finally and fully eliminate the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine mandatory minimum sentences at the federal level. Furthermore, the change would be made retroactive to allow those currently serving excessive sentences to petition a court for resentencing. This legislation offers a commonsense solution to a problem derived from a decades-long policy unsubstantiated by science.
As the 50th anniversary of the declaration on the War on Drugs has come and past, we must re-commit ourselves to achieving a smarter, fairer criminal justice system. National law enforcement organizations, high-ranking policing executives, and prominent conservative groups support the EQUAL Act because this type of drug abuse is a public health problem and not solely a law enforcement matter.
Finally, we are pleased to see the Committee consider this critical bill to make our federal sentencing laws more just. We hope that Chairman Nadler, Ranking Member Jordan, and all Members of Congress will reach across the aisle to support this legislation that will change lives.