# 119-s-3959: Smarter Sentencing Act of 2026

119-s-3959, Smarter Sentencing Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] (D-IL); status introduced (as of 2026-08-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3959
- As of: 2026-08-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-3959
- Congress: 119
- Title: Smarter Sentencing Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-03-02
- Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] (D-IL)
- Cosponsors: 10
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-11

## Summary

**This bill would **reduce mandatory minimum sentences for certain federal drug offenses** to focus punishment on more serious traffickers and couriers.** It would also force quick updates to sentencing rules and require the government to catalog and publish all federal criminal offenses. - People convicted of covered drug offenses would face lower mandatory minimums. Some 10-year minimums would fall to 5 years and some 5-year minimums would fall to 2 years. The bill also creates specific 5-year minimums for drug couriers and higher minimums for couriers with prior serious drug or violent felonies. - Sentencing courts would be able to seek reduced sentences for people sentenced before enactment. The United States Sentencing Commission would be required to revise guidelines and policy statements to match the changes and act within 120 days. - The Attorney General and many federal agencies named in the bill would prepare reports listing every criminal statutory and regulatory offense, the penalties, prosecution counts, and mens rea requirements within 1 year and publish a public index within 2 years. The Attorney General would also report within 6 months on how any prison savings would be used.

## Cosponsors (10)

- Sen. Lee, Mike [R-UT] (R-UT), 2026-03-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2026-03-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Schatz, Brian [D-HI] (D-HI), 2026-03-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. King, Angus S., Jr. [I-ME] (I-ME), 2026-03-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA] (D-VA), 2026-03-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] (D-MA), 2026-03-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (D-MA), 2026-03-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT), 2026-03-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] (I-VT), 2026-03-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS] (R-MS), 2026-03-02T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Public index and prison savings report: benefit, medium. Within 1 year, the Attorney General would report a list of all federal criminal statutes with their elements, possible penalties, mens rea, and DOJ prosecution counts for each of the prior 15 years. Heads of designated federal agencies would also report lists of their criminal regulatory offenses w…
- Changes to federal drug sentences: mixed, high. The bill would lower some federal drug mandatory minimum prison terms and add new rules for people defined as "couriers." For certain quantity-based drug tiers, it would change a 10-year minimum to 5 years and a 15-year reference to 10 years, and change a 5-year minimum to 2 years and a "not less t…
- Faster review of sentencing guidelines: mixed, medium. The bill would direct the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review and, if appropriate, amend sentencing guidelines and policy statements for the covered drug offenses so they match the statutory changes. The Commission would have to consider prison capacity, the October 2011 mandatory minimums report,…

## Related bills

- 119-s-2296: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
- 119-s-4784: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027
- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former United States Senator for the State of Kansas.
- 119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewellyn Kyl, former Senator for the State of Arizona.
- 119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham, a Senator from the State of South Carolina.

## Sources
- [119-s-3959 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3959)

## Related
- [119-s-2296: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2296)
- [119-s-4784: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4784)
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former Uni…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-913)
- [119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewel…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-897)
- [119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham,…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-801)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3959 (as of 2026-08-11).