Reps. Bacon, Jeffries, Scott, and Armstrong Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Eliminate Sentencing Disparity Between Crack and Powder Cocaine

Press Release

Today, Reps. Don Bacon (R-NE), Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Bobby Scott (D-VA), and Kelly Armstrong (R-ND)introduced the Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law (EQUAL) Act. The bipartisan legislation would eliminate the federal crack and powder cocaine sentencing disparity and retroactively apply it to those already convicted or sentenced.

The sentencing disparity between crack and powdered cocaine, at one point as high as 100 to 1, helped fuel the mass incarceration epidemic. 81% of individuals convicted of crack cocaine offenses in 2019 were Black, while historically 66% of crack cocaine users have been white or Hispanic. In 2010, the Fair Sentencing Act reduced the sentencing disparity from 100 to 1 to 18 to 1, and in 2018 the FIRST STEP Act made that reduction retroactive.

The EQUAL Act was introduced in the Senate earlier this year by Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Dick Durbin (D-IL).

"My support for the EQUAL Act is part of my overall approach for much needed justice reform in this country," said Rep. Bacon. "This discriminatory sentencing has been an ongoing issue for a long time, and we must eliminate the crack and powder cocaine sentencing disparity."

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