BILL ON COCAINE VS. CRACK SENTENCING PASSES HOUSE PANEL

U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott scored a victory Wednesday in his bid to put an
end to a law that imposes tougher penalties on people sent to prison
for possessing crack cocaine than those who possess powder cocaine.

The House Judiciary Committee approved the 3rd District Democrat's
bill, known as the Fairness in Cocaine Sentencing Act, or HR3245.

The bill from Scott, whose district includes Portsmouth and parts of
Norfolk and extends up to Richmond, would end a law that requires a
mandatory five-year sentence for possession of at least 5 grams of
crack cocaine. Someone must possess at least 500 grams of powder
cocaine to face the same mandatory sentence.

The tougher penalty for crack was adopted in the 1980s.

If approved, Scott's bill would make no distinction between the two
forms of the drug, requiring a mandatory five-year sentence for
possessing 500 grams or more of either type.

The House panel voted 16-9 in support of the measure. Scott voted for
it; the other local legislator on the committee, Republican Randy
Forbes of the 4th District, opposed it.

The stiffer penalty for crack, which is a cheaper form of the drug,
has been criticized because it has disproportionately affected poor
and black drug users.

"For 20 years, the disparity between crack and powder cocaine
sentencing has been a blight on our justice system," Michael
Macleod-Ball, leader of the American Civil Liberties Union's
Washington office, said in a statement. "This historic legislation is
long overdue."

The bill now moves to a full vote in the House. President Barack
Obama and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder also have called for an
end to the sentencing disparity.