From our Hill Sources: It’s budget season in Congress! Take a look at the Republicans’ proposed budget for FY 2016 being considered in the House. Meanwhile, the Senate will work on its own Republican budget proposal. Also, weigh in on bills related to criminal justice reform.
House Republican Budget Proposal
Last week, House Budget Chairman Tom Price (R-GA) introduced the Republicans’ Fiscal Year 2016 budget proposal, “A Balanced Budget for a Stronger America.” According to the House Budget Committee, the proposed budget:
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House Republican FY 2016 Budget (HConRes 27)
A $3.8 trillion budget proposal, which:
- “Balances the Budget: Balances the budget in less than 10 years without raising taxes, in contrast to the President whose budget never balances; Cuts $5.5 trillion in spending – higher than any previous House Budget Committee proposal; Calls for a fairer, simpler tax code to promote job creation and a healthy economy; Places the country on a path to paying off the debt by growing the economy and making government more efficient, effective and accountable: and Calls on Congress to pass a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.”
- “Repeals Obamacare: Repeals Obamacare in full – including all of its taxes, regulations and mandates; Promotes freedom of choice, affordability, and patient-centered health care solutions; Eliminates IPAB, an unelected, unaccountable board of bureaucrats charged with making coverage decisions on health care.”
- “Ensures a Strong National Defense: Provides for a strong national defense through robust funding of troop training, equipment and compensation; Boosts defense spending above the president’s levels while putting in place a plan to responsibly address the current spending caps and the threat of sequester.”
- “Secures Our Future: Ends the Obamacare raid on Medicare; Strengthens Medicare by making structural improvements to save the program; Eliminates the “double dipping” of Disability Insurance and Unemployment Insurance; Prevents the president’s plan to raid the regular Social Security Trust Fund.”
- Restores Federalism: Rejects the notion that Washington knows best and devolves power back to the states; Promotes innovation and flexibility for Medicaid, nutrition assistance, education and other programs.”
- “Cuts Waste, Corporate Welfare and Improves Accountability: Cuts waste, eliminates redundancies and ends the practice of Washington picking winners and losers in our economy; Calls for reforms to the regulatory system to improve transparency, efficiency, effectiveness and accountability.”
Read full budget text.
Senate Republican Budget Proposal
Also last week, Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, introduced a budget proposal which “balances the budget in 10 years by limiting spending growth, reaches a $3 billion surplus in the 10th year, and achieves $4.4 trillion more in deficit reduction than President Obama’s budget request,” according to the Committee.
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Senate Republican FY 2016 Budget (SConRes 11)
According to the Senate Budget Committee, the proposal:
- Balances the budget in 10 years by limiting spending growth.
- Protects hardworking American taxpayers with budget process reforms that reduce wasteful spending.
- Reinforces discretionary spending caps.
- Limits abuses of the appropriations process.
- Confronts unfunded mandates.
- Expedites legislation that addresses the nation’s spending problem.
- Responds to public concerns over the lack of government transparency with new rules that promote responsible accounting and curb budget gimmicks.
Read full budget text
From our Hill Sources: The first step in the budget process is the President’s budget submission, which outlines the Administration’s policy and funding priorities and the economic outlook for the coming fiscal year. (See the President’s FY2016 proposed budget.) This budget, which estimates spending, revenue and borrowing levels, is compiled by OMB from input by the various federal agencies, with funding broken down into 20 budget function categories.
Then Congress gets involved. House and Senate Committees hold hearings on the President’s budget and the Budget Committees report a concurrent resolution on the budget that sets each committee’s allocation of spending authority for the next fiscal year and aggregate spending and revenue levels for 5 years. However, this is not law and isn’t signed by the President. These budget allocations establish the framework to consider spending and revenue bills on the House and Senate floor.
Reforming the Criminal Justice System
Last week, an unlikely group of Senators—which included Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)—participated in a colloquy on the Senate floor about reforming minimum sentencing. (Watch video or read the transcript)
According to Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), who led the group: “Last year, the National Research Council of the National Academies issued a major study of incarceration in the United States. One of their main conclusions is that mandatory sentencing and excessively long sentences generally do not have a significant deterrent effect and are ineffective unless targeted at offenders with a very high rate of recidivism or extremely dangerous offenders. The National Research Council concluded: “[We] have reviewed the research literature on the deterrent effect of such laws and have concluded that the evidence is insufficient to justify the conclusion that these harsher punishments yield measurable public safety benefits.”
Related Bills in Congress
The Senators also introduced the Smarter Sentencing Act:
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Smarter Sentencing Act (S 502 and HR 920 in the House)
—Bipartisan— "To modernize federal drug sentencing polices by giving federal judges more discretion in sentencing those convicted of non-violent drug offenses. With federal prison populations skyrocketing and about half of the nation’s federal inmates serving sentences for drug offenses, the proposed changes could save American taxpayers billions of dollars in the first years of enactment,” according to the bill sponsor. (Read bill text)
Here’s a look at some other proposals in Congress related to criminal justice reform:
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Fairness in Cocaine Sentencing Act (HR 1255)
"Would go further and provide true 1 to 1 sentencing equality in terms of penalties for crack and powder cocaine offenses,” according to the bill sponsor. (Read bill text)
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Fair Sentencing Clarification Act (HR 1252)
"Would allow all offenders, regardless of when they were arrested or convicted, to receive the benefit of the changes that Congress made in 2010 when it passed the Fair Sentencing Act (FSA). That Act reduced the 100-to-1 sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine in federal law to 18-to-1,” according to the bill sponsor,. (Read bill text)
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Justice Safety Valve Act (HR 706 and S 353 in the Senate)
—Bipartisan— "Would give federal judges the ability to impose sentences below mandatory minimums in appropriate cases based upon mitigating factors,” according to the bill sponsors. "would restore proportionality, fairness, and rationality to federal sentencing. It would also reduce the overcrowding in federal facilities, which are currently operating at between 35-50% above their rated capacity, posing risks to both inmates and officers,” according to the bill sponsor,. (Read bill text)
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Recidivism Clarification Act (HR 1254)
"Would address the excessive, severe, and irrational mandatory consecutive penalties that are added onto existing mandatory minimums in certain federal drug cases, a practice commonly known as “stacking.” The current stacking statute, 18 U.S.C. § 924, has led to grossly disproportionate, irrational, and excessive sentences that often do not fit the crime charged. The bill clarifies that sentences can only be “stacked” when the defendant is a “true recidivist”—meaning the defendant had a prior qualifying predicate conviction that had already been final. The bill would also provide relief to those who are already serving time under these unjust sentences, permitting them to petition for relief from excessive sentences, which a federal court, for the first time, will be able to grant in appropriate circumstances,” according to the bill sponsor,. (Read bill text)
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Prisoner Incentive Act (HR 1253)
"Would address a flaw in how the Bureau of Prisons currently interprets federal law. Congress originally intended to allow federal prisoners to earn up to 54 days off their sentences each year if they follow prison rules and are well-behaved–commonly known as “good time credit.” However, due to the way in which the Bureau of Prisons calculates good time credit, the maximum the Bureau is providing prisoners is 47 days off – seven shy of the maximum Congress intended to provide. While a difference of seven days may appear to be insignificant, fixing this flaw would save approximately $1 billion every 9.5 years,” according to the bill sponsor. (Read bill text)
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Federal Prison Bureau Nonviolent Offender Relief Act (HR 71)
Amends the federal criminal code to direct the Bureau of Prisons, pursuant to a good time policy, to release a prisoner who has served one half or more of his or her term of imprisonment if that prisoner: (1) has attained age 45; (2) has never been convicted of a crime of violence; and (3) has not engaged in any violation, involving violent conduct, of institutional disciplinary regulations, according to the bill sponsor. (Read bill text)
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Formerly Incarcerated Voter Registration Act (HR 871)
To direct the Bureau of Prisons to provide certain voting information to Federal prisoners upon their release from prison. (Read bill text)
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US Sentencing Commission (HR 71)
To add a Federal defender representative as a nonvoting member of the United States Sentencing Commission. (Read bill text)
Also in the House…
The House will also consider these proposals this week:
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Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Reauthorization Act (HR 360)
—Bipartisan— To reauthorize the Native American Housing Assistance and Self- Determination Act of 1996. (Read bill text)
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Tenant Income Verification Relief Act (HR 233)
—Bipartisan— To allow reviews of certain families’ incomes every 3 years for purposes of determining eligibility for certain Federal assisted housing programs. (Read bill text)
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Department of Veterans Affairs Budget Planning Reform (HR 216)
—Bipartisan— To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress a Future-Years Veterans Program and a quadrennial veterans review, to establish in the Department of Veterans Affairs a Chief Strategy Officer. (Read bill text)
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Condemning Boko Haram’s attack (HRes 53)
—Bipartisan— Condemning the cowardly attack on innocent men, women, and children in the northeastern Nigerian town of Baga. On the night of January 3, 2015, the terrorist group Boko Haram launched an attack on innocent men, women, and children, using assault rifles, grenade launchers and fire. The scope of casualties in this attack totals in the hundreds and possibly thousands, and is considered the terrorist group’s ‘‘deadliest massacre’’ to date. (Read resolution text)
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Ukraine Resolution (HRes 162)
Calling on the President to provide Ukraine with military assistance to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity (Read resolution text)
— Please keep in mind that highlighting a bill doesn't imply a POPVOX endorsement in any way. Rather, we're simply trying to offer one more way to stay informed of a complex legislative system. —
