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Subcommittee backs bill to eliminate crack–powder cocaine sentencing disparity
Summary
The House Criminal Law Subcommittee on Jan. 17 recommended reporting HB 1955, a bill to equalize mandatory minimums for crack and powder cocaine offenses; the measure drew broad support from prosecutors, faith and criminal-justice reform groups and passed unanimously 8-0.
Delegate Gardner, presenting HB 1955 to the House Criminal Law Subcommittee on Jan. 17, asked members to pass legislation that would eliminate the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine.
Gardner said Virginia’s statutory scheme imposes the same five‑year mandatory minimum for an offense involving 500 grams of powder cocaine and 250 grams of crack cocaine, and a 20‑year mandatory minimum for 5 kilograms of powder and 2.5 kilograms of crack. “Crack cocaine…
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