Charles Rangel

My bill, H.R. 1459, the 'Fairness in Cocaine Sentencing Act of 2009,' does just that.

But right now at 79 years old, Judge, I am trying to think of why they hell did they go to jail in the first place?

The current sentencing requirements fail to accomplish the legislative intent in the 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act.

And so I generally disagree with mandatory sentencing. I am particularly outraged by what has happened over the years with crack cocaine.

It is not working for Blacks. It is not working for minorities. It is not working for our country.

I think we have a great opportunity not to talk about how we got here, but this darn thing isn't working.

we have to review what we have done with our criminal justice system that allow us to believe that putting over 2 million people in jail is the answer to some of the social problems we face.

it would make a lot of sense to see how much does it cost to have these people locked up, what good purpose is being served, and what impact has it had in a positive way on our society.

This is a remarkable time in our Nation's history as we have a President that really doesn't believe that how things have acted in the past should guide our conduct in the future.

This bill would eliminate all mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses.

The Major Drug Traffickers Prosecution Act of 2009 goes to the root of the problem by creating a more just system.

If we can deal with that problem, then they won't have the other end to worry about as to whether or not his sentence and the disparity should or should not exist.

Mandatory sentences and the disparity. It took a long time, but they just did it last month.

Well, let me answer first, because across the board you don't need judges if they don't have discretion.

I don't remember the last time anyone was arrested in the state of New York for marijuana.

I hope our other Members will co-sponsor my bill, H.R. 1459, and listened to the increased calls to end the decades of illegal discrimination.

I sincerely hope that today's hearing is the start of legislation that will end the sentencing disparities.

The commission and our judges know how to do their job, so you need to let them do it.

Without showing some compassion, some sensitivity, it is just a merry-go-round, and it is just a short amount of time where 70 percent of those that are in are going to return.

It occurred to me as a prosecutor that if we had an ingredient coming into a community that didn't grow it, didn't manufacture it...

The United States has never lost a single dollar in investor-state dispute under NAFTA or under any other trade agreement or bilateral investment treaty.

They don't ask whether they are Republican or Democrat. They say, Have you got insurance? They say 'no.'

wouldn't a bill that forces workers to lose existing coverage... be contrary to the President's campaign promise?

We must be wary of quick fixes to our insurance system.

We can work to reduce the rate of spending and control health care costs to enable economic growth.