About the bill
The ratio was 100:1 starting in 1986, then 18:1 starting in 2010. Should it be 1:1 now?
Context
Cocaine is federally classified as a Schedule II drug, the category with the second-highest potential for dependence and abuse, alongside the likes of Vicodin, Adderall, and meth.
The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 created a 100:1 ratio for sentencing people who were caught with crack cocaine versus powder cocaine. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, black people are more likely to use crack cocaine, so the law had a disproportionate effect on nonwhites.
The law was partially crafted and advocated by then-Sen. Joe Biden, though he has subsequently walked back his support. “We were told by the experts that ‘crack, you never go back,’ that the two were …
Sponsor and status
117th Congress (2021–2023)
Introduced on Jan 28, 2021
This bill is in the first stage of the legislative process. It was introduced into Congress on January 28, 2021. It will typically be considered by committee next before it is possibly sent on to the House or Senate as a whole.
Other activity may have occurred on another bill with identical or similar provisions.
21 Cosponsors (11 Republicans, 10 Democrats)
Position statements
What legislators are saying
“Congressman Jim Himes announces $500,000 Federal Grant to the Barnum Museum”
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Rep. James “Jim” Himes [D-CT4]
on Sep 22, 2021
“reps. Jeffries, waters lead cbc colleagues to call for senate vote on bipartisan equal act”
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Rep. Hakeem Jeffries [D-NY8]
on Apr 5, 2022
History
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Jan 28, 2021
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Introduced
Bills and resolutions are referred to committees which debate the bill before possibly sending it on to the whole chamber. |
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Sep 28, 2021
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Companion Bill —
Passed House (Senate next)
This activity took place on a related bill, H.R. 1693, possibly in lieu of similar activity on S. 79. |
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Passed Committee
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Passed Senate
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Passed House
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Signed by the President
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S. 79 is a bill in the United States Congress.
A bill must be passed by both the House and Senate in identical form and then be signed by the President to become law.
Bills numbers restart every two years. That means there are other bills with the number S. 79. This is the one from the 117th Congress.
How to cite this information.
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“S. 79 — 117th Congress: EQUAL Act.” www.GovTrack.us. 2021. May 20, 2022 <https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/117/s79>
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Where is this information from?
GovTrack automatically collects legislative information from a variety of governmental and non-governmental sources. This page is sourced primarily from Congress.gov, the official portal of the United States Congress. Congress.gov is generally updated one day after events occur, and so legislative activity shown here may be one day behind. Data via the congress project.
