CRIME/POLITICS: “A bipartisan group of senators pushing to revive legislation that would bring sweeping changes to federal sentencing laws cleared a key hurdle on Thursday [2-15-18], but the effort appeared likely to stall once again.
Advocates of criminal justice overhaul from both parties say that their proposals have only gained in popularity since 2015, when a similar and much-promoted bipartisan push petered out amid disputes as 2016 campaigns took shape.
A new version of the measure passed the Senate Judiciary Committee 16 to 5 on Thursday, winning plaudits from an unlikely coalition of conservative, libertarian and liberal lawmakers and outside groups that have backed it.
What happens next will depend on whether that coalition can persuade Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, to allow a full Senate vote.
The prospects appeared dim. Mr. McConnell, who controls the Senate floor, continues to see the issue as a loser for Republicans, despite a wave of similar overhauls embraced by states across the country. He has argued that the issue divides Republicans, many of whom remain averse to lessening criminal penalties of any kind, and could dampen enthusiasm at the polls.
It will be up to Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, the influential chairman of the Judiciary Committee and the lead author of the bill, to try to change Mr. McConnell’s mind, and he suggested that President Trump’s desire for legislative accomplishments could help sway the leader.”
-Nicholas Fandos, “Senate’s Renewed Push for Sentencing Overhaul Hits a Familiar Roadblock,” The New York Times online, Feb. 15, 2018