Lawmakers unveil bill to combat Sessions' push for tougher sentences

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is pushing back against Attorney General Jeff SessionsJefferson (Jeff) Beauregard SessionsSen. Hawley tramples the 2020 vote in his run to 2024 Bottom line Five GOP senators to watch in next month's Electoral College fight MORE’s order last week directing federal prosecutors to charge defendants with the most serious crimes possible.

Sens. Patrick LeahyPatrick Joseph LeahySenior Democrat says Hawley, Cruz should step down from Judiciary Congress unveils .3 trillion government spending and virus relief package Bottom line MORE (D-Vt.), Rand PaulRandal (Rand) Howard PaulFormer Missouri senator says backing Hawley was 'worst mistake of my life' GOP senators hopeful they've quashed additional election challenges Rand Paul calls Capitol riot 'wrong and un-American' MORE (R-Ky.) and Jeff MerkleyJeff MerkleyFlags, signs and other items left behind in Capitol riot to be preserved as historical artifacts Laptop stolen from Pelosi's office during Capitol riots Merkley says Capitol rioters stole laptop from his office MORE (D-Ore.) have reintroduced the Justice Safety Valve Act in response to the drastic shift from Obama-era guidelines, which urged prosecutors to crack down on violent criminals and leaders of drug cartels while being more lenient with nonviolent, low-level drug offenders.

The legislation unveiled Tuesday gives federal judges the ability to impose sentences below the mandatory minimums when appropriate.

Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Bobby ScottRobert (Bobby) Cortez ScottDeLauro wins Steering Committee vote for Appropriations chair National reading, math tests postponed to 2022 amid coronavirus surge Trump officials approve Georgia plan to remove healthcare.gov as enrollment option MORE (D-Va.) introduced a companion bill in the House.

Paul was quick to criticize Sessions’s order last week, writing in a CNN op-ed that the directive would "accentuate the injustice in our criminal justice system."

“Mandatory minimum sentences disproportionally affect minorities and low-income communities, while doing little to keep us safe and turning mistakes into tragedies. As this legislation demonstrates, Congress can come together in a bipartisan fashion to change these laws,” he said in a statement Tuesday.

The lawmakers claim the judicial discretion created by the two-page bill will help reduce the bloated federal prison population and tackle dangerous overcrowding while ensuring sentences fit the circumstances of the crime.