Introduced: January 3, 2017 (115th Congress)

Sponsor: Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)

Text of bill: Click here for full text of this legislation.

Summary: If passed into law, H.R. 64 would require the Bureau of Prisons to release federal prisoners if the prisoners meet ALL of these criteria:

1. They have served at least half of their prison term; and
2. They are at least 45 years old; and
3. They have never been convicted of a crime of violence; and
4. They have not engaged in any prison rule violation that involved violent conduct.

Bill Status: The bill has not been enacted into law. We do not know if or when the bill could become law. To become a law, this bill must be approved by the Judiciary Committee, passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, passed by the U.S. Senate, and signed by the President. It takes a long time to pass a bill into law, and very few bills become laws each year. This bill has been introduced in previous sessions of Congress and has not passed.

Keep checking this page for updates on the bill’s progress.