Congressman Burchett introduces "fix" bill to increase efficiency in prosecuting drug criminals

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 14, 2022) – Today, U.S. Representative Tim Burchett (TN-02) and U.S. Representative Steve Cohen (TN-09) introduced a bill to make the federal prosecution process against violent offenders and drug criminals more efficient.

“Our courts are already bogged down by enough bureaucracy. They shouldn’t have to jump through extra hoops just because there's a mistake in the way our law is written,” said Rep. Burchett.

“I’m pleased to join in this correction to the federal code that will clarify the law, help prevent technical errors, and make justice clear” said Rep. Cohen.

This bill corrects a numbering error in the U.S. Code that requires prosecutors, defense attorneys, and federal judges to supply an additional “explanatory footnote.” Correcting this error will remove an unnecessary step in the process of prosecuting certain violent criminals and help to avoid mistakes regarding defendants who have “serious drug felonies” or “serious violent felonies” that could end in sentencing errors.

You can read the full text of the bill here.