Fairness in Fentanyl Sentencing Act of 2025

Senate Bill

S. 477

119th Congress

Fairness in Fentanyl Sentencing Act of 2025

In Committee

Introduced:Feb 6, 2025

Primary Sponsor

John Kennedy

R - LA

Cosponsors

5

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary

This bill dramatically lowers the amount of fentanyl that triggers mandatory minimum sentences, reducing high-level thresholds from 400 grams to 20 grams and low-level thresholds from 40 grams to 2 grams. It also increases postal screening for fentanyl.

Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Introduced2/6/2025

StatusRead twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

ChamberSenate

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Vote Prediction

Fairness in Fentanyl Sentencing Act of 2025

This bill dramatically lowers the amount of fentanyl that triggers mandatory minimum sentences, reducing high-level thresholds from 400 grams to 20 grams and low-level thresholds from 40 grams to 2 grams. It also increases postal screening for fentanyl.

Community Breakdown

Pass

0%

Fail

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0 predictions

This bill dramatically lowers the amount of fentanyl that triggers mandatory minimum sentences, reducing high-level thresholds from 400 grams to 20 grams and low-level thresholds from 40 grams to 2 grams. It also increases postal screening for fentanyl.

Bill Number: 477
Introduced: 2/6/2025
Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Policy Area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: Fairness in Fentanyl Sentencing Act of 2025
Bill Number: 477
Sponsor: No sponsor
Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced: 2/6/2025
Summary: This bill dramatically lowers the amount of fentanyl that triggers mandatory minimum sentences, reducing high-level thresholds from 400 grams to 20 grams and low-level thresholds from 40 grams to 2 grams. It also increases postal screening for fentanyl.

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill dramatically lowers the amount of fentanyl that triggers mandatory minimum sentences, reducing high-level thresholds from 400 grams to 20 grams and low-level thresholds from 40 grams to 2 grams. It also increases postal screening for fentanyl.

Last updated: 1/5/2026

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

Fairness in Fentanyl Sentencing Act of 2025This bill modifies the drug quantity thresholds that trigger a mandatory minimum prison term for a defendant who manufactures, distributes, imports, exports, or possesses with intent to distribute fentanyl.Specifically, the bill reduces from 400 to 20 grams the fentanyl quantity and from 100 to 5 grams the fentanyl analogue quantity that trigger a mandatory minimum prison term for high-level first-time or repeat offenders. It also reduces from 40 to 2 grams the fentanyl quantity and from 10 to 0.5 grams the fentanyl analogue quantity that trigger a mandatory minimum prison term for low-level first-time or repeat offenders.Additionally, the bill directs the U.S. Postal Service to increase the availability of chemical screening devices and dedicate the appropriate number of personnel to interdict fentanyl and other substances that are unlawfully imported into the United States.

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Reduces fentanyl quantity for mandatory minimums by 95 percent
High-level threshold drops from 400 to 20 grams
Low-level threshold drops from 40 to 2 grams
Similar reductions for fentanyl analogues
Increases postal service screening capacity

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

Far smaller quantities of fentanyl would trigger harsh mandatory prison sentences, reflecting the drugs extreme lethality. Even small amounts can cause multiple overdose deaths, so supporters say current thresholds are dangerously high.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Crime and Law Enforcement

Related Subjects

Administrative law and regulatory procedures

Criminal procedure and sentencing

Drug trafficking and controlled substances

Postal service

Trade restrictions

U.S. Sentencing Commission

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

477, 119th Congress (2025). "Fairness in Fentanyl Sentencing Act of 2025". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-s-477

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