Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Federal Sentencing Guidelines topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
U.S. Sentencing Commission adopts multiple guideline amendments and publishes unmanned aircraft proposal for public comment
Summary
The U.S. Sentencing Commission voted to promulgate several amendments to the federal sentencing guidelines—covering drug offenses, inflationary adjustments, multiple-count treatment, simplifications, sentencing options and technical changes—with an effective date of Nov. 1, 2026, and voted to publish a proposed unmanned aircraft adjustment for public comment (comment period closes June 18, 2026).
The United States Sentencing Commission on Monday adopted a package of guideline amendments and voted to publish a separate proposal to address offenses involving unmanned aircraft.
Chair Carlton W. Reeves opened the public meeting and said the Commission received extensive input during the rulemaking cycle, adding, “if you spoke to the Commission during this cycle, you were heard, and you are deeply appreciated.” The Commission moved quickly through a series of votes, adopting proposed amendments and recording voice votes for each motion.
General Counsel Kathleen Grilli advised the Commission on each item. The Commission adopted a proposed amendment to guideline 2D1.1 to implement provisions of the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act, including changes to the drug quantity table (2D1.1C), the drug equivalency tables (application note 8D) and enhancement 2D1.1B13. Commissioners voted to promulgate the amendment with an effective date of November 1, 2026; the record reflects at least four commissioners voted in favor.
The Commission also adopted an inflationary adjustments amendment to update the monetary tables and certain monetary values in Chapter Two offense characteristics using the methodology the agency applied in 2015, and a multiple-count amendment that would replace five Chapter Three, Part D guidelines with a single guideline at 3D1.1 to simplify the calculation of a single offense level in multiple-count cases. Both motions were moved, seconded and adopted; the record reflects at least four commissioners voted in favor of each motion.
A separate simplification amendment deleting 26 specific offense characteristics that were rarely applied over a 25-year lookback and a sentencing options amendment (which adds introductory commentary to Part A of Chapter Five and moves the sentencing table into a new guideline, 5A1.1) were likewise adopted for promulgation with an effective date of November 1, 2026.
The Commission adopted a miscellaneous amendment responding to the Protecting Americans Data from Foreign Adversaries Act and the Foreign Extortion Prevention Technical Corrections Act with conforming changes to appendix A and relevant guideline sections, and it approved a technical amendment to make non-substantive updates to the Guidelines Manual (for example, replacing references to the “Bureau of Prisons” with “Federal Bureau of Prisons” and updating references to the Communications Act of 1934). Those motions were adopted by voice vote and the record reflects at least four commissioners voted in favor.
In a separate procedural vote, the Commission voted to publish for public comment a proposed unmanned aircraft amendment in response to a directive in the Safer Skies Act (part of the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act). That proposal would create a new guideline, 3B1.6, providing a tiered adjustment for offenses involving the use of an unmanned aircraft. The Commission voted to publish the proposed amendment in the Federal Register with an original comment period closing June 18, 2026; the public‑comment publication motion was adopted by voice vote and the record reflects at least three commissioners voted in favor of publication.
Staff Director Ken Coy delivered a brief staff report and announced two upcoming retirements: Christine Kitchens, a senior research associate in the Office of Research and Data, will retire at the end of May after 31 years of federal service; and General Counsel Kathleen Grilli will also retire at the end of May after 29 years of federal work, 22 of them at the Commission. Coy thanked both employees for their service.
The meeting concluded after commissioners voted to adjourn in honor of General Counsel Grilli. The Commission recorded the adoption of the January 30, 2026 public meeting minutes earlier in the session by voice vote.
Next steps: adopted amendments list an effective date of November 1, 2026; the unmanned aircraft proposal will be published in the Federal Register with a comment period closing June 18, 2026. No further hearings or votes were announced during the meeting.
