Hoping for more buzz on Senate crack sentencing bill

The Senate bill introduced this week to reduce the notorious 100:1 crack/powder sentencing ratio (background here) is starting to generate a little buzz.  This piece from the Drug War Chronicle provides nice background on the issue, and today’s Montgomery Advertiser has this editorial supporting the bill with these insights:

Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions … has ample law-and-order credentials and plenty of credibility when proposing reforms in the glaringly unbalanced sentencing for cocaine offenses. This is not a question of coddling criminals, but rather a move toward a more equitable sentencing structure for offenses involving the different forms of the drug….  A 100:1 disparity is hard to defend under any circumstances….

A great friend of the blog has sent me a copy of the Senate bill, which can be downloaded here: Download senate_cocaine_bill.pdf

The Senate bill, by adopting a 20:1 crack/powder ratio for triggering statutory sentencing minimums, follows the latest advice from the US Sentencing Commission as reflected in its 2002 report to Congress.  Consequently, it would seem appropriate for the USSC to issue press releases and author letters to key persons in Congress expressing robust support for this important bill and urging Congress to move forward quickly.  But, given the USSC’s recent track record on this issue, I am not holding my breath.