S. 4136 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the Senate, Mar 18, 2026
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryAdds public defender to Sentencing Commission
The U.S. Sentencing Commission is a group that creates guidelines judges use when sentencing people in federal court. This bill adds one new nonvoting member to the commission, and that person must be a public defender—someone who represents people in criminal cases who can't afford their own lawyer.
How it affects you
This change doesn't directly affect most people's daily lives. It brings the perspective of public defenders into conversations about sentencing guidelines, which over time could influence how federal judges sentence people in criminal cases.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, Mar 18, 2026)
Sentencing Commission Improvements Act
This bill adds one nonvoting member to the U.S. Sentencing Commission and requires the new member to be a public defender.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
2nd SessionS. 4136
A BILL
Sentencing Commission Improvements Act
Sponsor: Sen. Cory A. Booker (D-NJ) · Introduced Mar 18, 2026 · Crime and Law Enforcement · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Mar 18, 2026: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.”