Political Quotes

“Mr. President, on a number of occasions I have had to take to the Senate floor to note my opposition to the so-called Smarter Sentencing Act. Does that mean I am against all sentencing reform? No. But there are some issues that are particularly wrong with the suggestions that have been put in bill form so far. My speeches on this issue have been necessary because there are so many misconceptions about that legislation and Federal drug sentences and prisoners. Before addressing them, I want to let my colleagues know that I do believe there are some inequities in the criminal justice system, and the Judiciary Committee will be looking at ways to address them. I will set out that part of the committee's agenda after discussing sentencing. The Smarter Sentencing Act would arbitrarily cut in half the mandatory minimum sentences which are imposed on a host of serious-- very serious--drug offenses. Those offenses include the importation, manufacture, and distribution of serious drugs, such as heroin, PCP, LSD, and meth. As an example, the Governor of Vermont devoted an entire state of the State address to the heroin epidemic. The Governor of Maryland just launched an anti-heroin initiative following the near doubling of heroin overdose deaths in that State in the 2 years between 2011 and 2013. The Smarter Sentencing Act would cut mandatory sentences in half for importing, distributing, and manufacturing heroin.…”