Mandatory Minimum Sentencing, and More from CRS
A new report from the Congressional Research Service looks at the use of mandatory minimum sentencing to punish certain types of crimes, and reviews current legislation to modify that controversial practice.
“A surprising number of federal crimes carry mandatory minimum terms of imprisonment,” CRS said. “That is, they are punishable by imprisonment for a term of not less than some number of years. During the 114th Congress, Members have introduced a number of related proposals. Some would expand the scope of existing mandatory minimum sentencing provisions; others would contract their reach.” See Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Legislation in the 114th Congress, April 29, 2015.
Other noteworthy new CRS products that Congress has withheld from public distribution include the following.
European Fighters in Syria and Iraq: Assessments, Responses, and Issues for the United States, April 27, 2015
New U.S.-Japan Defense Guidelines Deepen Alliance Cooperation, CRS Insights, April 28, 2015
Questions of the Privileges of the House: An Analysis, April 28, 2015
Civilian Nuclear Waste Disposal, April 24, 2015
The United Kingdom Election, CRS Insights, April 29, 2015
What are the Department of Defense (DOD) Policies on Transgender Service?, CRS Insights, April 28, 2015
The first woman to serve in the U.S. Senate was Rebecca Latimer Felton (D-GA), who was appointed in 1922 to replace a Senator who had died in office. At age 87, Senator Felton was the oldest person ever to begin a Senate career. She served for only one day. See Women in Congress: Historical Overview, Tables, and Discussion, April 29, 2015.
With targeted policy interventions, we can efficiently and effectively support the U.S. innovation economy through the translation of breakthrough scientific research from the lab to the market.
Crowd forecasting methods offer a systematic approach to quantifying the U.S. intelligence community’s uncertainty about the future and predicting the impact of interventions, allowing decision-makers to strategize effectively and allocate resources by outlining risks and tradeoffs in a legible format.
The energy transition underway in the United States continues to present a unique set of opportunities to put Americans back to work through the deployment of new technologies, infrastructure, energy efficiency, and expansion of the electricity system to meet our carbon goals.
The United States has the only proven and scalable tritium production supply chain, but it is largely reserved for nuclear weapons. Excess tritium production capacity should be leveraged to ensure the success of and U.S. leadership in fusion energy.