UNITED STATES SENTENCING COMMISSION
Proposed Amendments for Amendment Cycle
AGENCY: United States Sentencing Commission.
ACTION: Notice and request for public comment and hearing.
SUMMARY: The United States Sentencing Commission is considering promulgating amendments to the sentencing guidelines, policy statements, and commentary. This notice sets forth the proposed amendments and, for each proposed amendment, a synopsis of the issues addressed by that amendment. This notice also sets forth several issues for comment, some of which are set forth together with the proposed amendments, and one of which (regarding retroactive application of proposed amendments) is set forth in the Supplementary Information section of this notice.
DATES: Written Public Comment. Written public comment regarding the proposed amendments and issues for comment set forth in this notice, including public comment regarding retroactive application of any of the proposed amendments, should be received by the Commission not later than February 22, 2024. Any public comment received after the close of the comment period may not be considered.
Public Hearing. The Commission may hold a public hearing regarding the proposed amendments and issues for comment set forth in this notice. Further information regarding any public hearing that may be scheduled, including requirements for testifying and providing written testimony, as well as the date, time, location, and scope of the hearing, will be provided by the Commission on its website at www.ussc.gov.
ADDRESSES: There are two methods for submitting public comment.
Electronic Submission of Comments. Comments may be submitted electronically via the Commission’s Public Comment Submission Portal at https://comment.ussc.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
Submission of Comments by Mail. Comments may be submitted by mail to the following address: United States Sentencing Commission, One Columbus Circle, N.E., Suite 2-500, Washington, D.C. 20002-8002, Attention: Public Affairs – Proposed Amendments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Dukes, Senior Public Affairs Specialist, (202) 502-4597.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The United States Sentencing Commission is an independent agency in the judicial branch of the United States Government. The Commission promulgates sentencing guidelines and policy statements for federal courts pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 994(a). The Commission also periodically reviews and revises previously promulgated guidelines pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 994(o) and submits guideline amendments to the Congress not later than the first day of May each year pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 994(p).
Publication of a proposed amendment requires the affirmative vote of at least three voting members of the Commission and is deemed to be a request for public comment on the proposed amendment. See USSC Rules of Practice and Procedure 2.2, 4.4. In contrast, the affirmative vote of at least four voting members is required to promulgate an amendment and submit it to Congress. See id. 2.2; 28 U.S.C. 994(p).
The proposed amendments in this notice are presented in one of two formats. First, some of the amendments are proposed as specific revisions to a guideline, policy statement, or commentary. Bracketed text within a proposed amendment indicates a heightened interest on the Commission’s part in comment and suggestions regarding alternative policy choices; for example, a proposed enhancement of [2][4][6] levels indicates that the Commission is considering, and invites comment on, alternative policy choices regarding the appropriate level of enhancement. Similarly, bracketed text within a specific offense characteristic or application note means that the Commission specifically invites comment on whether the proposed provision is appropriate. Second, the Commission has highlighted certain issues for comment and invites suggestions on how the Commission should respond to those issues.
In summary, the proposed amendments and issues for comment set forth in this notice are as follows:
(1) A proposed amendment to §2B1.1 (Theft, Property Destruction, and Fraud) that would create Notes to the loss table in §2B1.1(b)(1) and move some of the general rules relating to loss from the commentary to the guideline itself as part of the Notes, as well as make corresponding changes to the Commentary of certain guidelines that refer to the loss rules in §2B1.1, and a related issue for comment.
(2) A two-part proposed amendment relating to the provisions of §4A1.2 (Definitions and Instructions for Computing Criminal History) that cover criminal history calculations for offenses committed prior to age eighteen and on §5H1.1 (Age (Policy Statement)), including (A) three options for amending §4A1.2 to change how sentences for offenses committed prior to age eighteen are considered in the calculation of a defendant’s criminal history score, and related issues for comment; and (B) an amendment to §5H1.1 to address unique sentencing considerations relating to youthful individuals, and related issues for comment.
(3) A proposed amendment to the Guidelines Manual that includes three options to address the use of acquitted conduct for purposes of determining a sentence, and related issues for comment.
(4) A two-part proposed amendment addressing certain circuit conflicts involving §2K2.1 (Unlawful Receipt, Possession, or Transportation of Firearms or Ammunition; Prohibited Transactions Involving Firearms or Ammunition) and §2K2.4 (Use of Firearm, Armor-Piercing Ammunition, or Explosive During or in Relation to Certain Crimes), including (A) two options for amending §2K2.1(b)(4)(B)(i) to address a circuit conflict concerning whether a serial number must be illegible in order to apply the 4-level increase for a firearm that “had an altered or obliterated serial number,” and a related issue for comment; and (B) amendments to the Commentary to §2K2.4 to address a circuit conflict concerning whether subsection (c) of §3D1.2 (Groups of Closely Related Counts) permits grouping of a firearms count under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) with a drug trafficking count, where the defendant also has a separate count under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) based on the drug trafficking count, and a related issue for comment.
(5) A multi-part proposed amendment in response to recently enacted legislation and miscellaneous guideline issues, including (A) amendments to Appendix A (Statutory Index) and the Commentary to §2B1.5 (Theft of, Damage to, or Destruction of, Cultural Heritage Resources or Paleontological Resources; Unlawful Sale, Purchase, Exchange, Transportation, or Receipt of Cultural Heritage Resources or Paleontological Resources) in response to the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony (“STOP”) Act of 2021, Pub. L. 117–258 (2022), and a related issue for comment; (B) amendments to Appendix A and §2M5.1 (Evasion of Export Controls; Financial Transactions with Countries Supporting International Terrorism) in response to the Export Control Reform Act of 2018, enacted as part of the John McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, Pub. L. 115–232 (2018), and to concerns raised by the Department of Justice and the Disruptive Technology Strike Force (an interagency collaboration between the Department of Justice’s National Security Division and the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security), and related issues for comment; (C) an amendment to subsection (b)(2)(B) of §2S1.3 (Structuring Transactions to Evade Reporting Requirements; Failure to Report Cash or Monetary Transactions; Failure to File Currency and Monetary Instrument Report; Knowingly Filing False Reports; Bulk Cash Smuggling; Establishing or Maintaining Prohibited Accounts) to reflect the enhanced penalty applicable to offenses under 31 U.S.C. §§ 5322 and 5336; (D) amendments to Appendix A and the Commentary to §2R1.1 (Bid-Rigging, Price-Fixing or Market-Allocation Agreements Among Competitors) to replace references to 15 U.S.C. § 3(b) with references to 15 U.S.C. § 3(a); (E) two options for amending §2D1.1 (Unlawful Manufacturing, Importing, Exporting, or Trafficking (Including Possession with Intent to Commit These Offenses); Attempt or Conspiracy) to address a miscellaneous issue regarding the application of the base offense levels at subsections (a)(1)–(a)(4); and (F) two options for amending §4C1.1 (Adjustment for Certain Zero-Point Offenders) to address concerns raised by the Department of Justice relating to the scope of the definition of “sex offense” in subsection (b)(2).
(6) A two-part proposed amendment to make technical and other non-substantive changes to the Guidelines Manual, including (A) technical and conforming changes relating to §4C1.1 (Adjustment for Certain Zero-Point Offenders); and (B) technical and clerical changes to several guidelines and their corresponding commentaries to add missing headings to application notes; provide stylistic consistency in how subdivisions are designated; provide consistency in the use of capitalization; correct certain references and typographical errors; and update an example in a Commentary that references 18 U.S.C. § 924(c), which was amended by the First Step Act of 2018, Public Law 115–391 (Dec. 21, 2018).
(7) A two-part proposed amendment to the Guidelines Manual, including (A) request for public comment on whether any changes should be made to the Guidelines Manual relating to the three-step process set forth in §1B1.1 (Application Instructions) and the use of departures and policy statements relating to specific personal characteristics; and (B) amendments that would restructure the Guidelines Manual to simplify both (1) the current three-step process utilized in determining a sentence that is “sufficient, but not greater than necessary,” and (2) existing guidance in the Guidelines Manual regarding a court’s consideration of the individual circumstances of the defendant as well as certain offense characteristics.
In addition, the Commission requests public comment regarding whether, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 3582(c)(2) and 28 U.S.C. 994(u), any proposed amendment published in this notice should be included in subsection (d) of §1B1.10 (Reduction in Term of Imprisonment as a Result of Amended Guideline Range (Policy Statement)) as an amendment that may be applied retroactively to previously sentenced defendants. The Commission lists in §1B1.10(d) the specific guideline amendments that the court may apply retroactively under 18 U.S.C. 3582(c)(2). The Background Commentary to §1B1.10 lists the purpose of the amendment, the magnitude of the change in the guideline range made by the amendment, and the difficulty of applying the amendment retroactively to determine an amended guideline range under §1B1.10(b) as among the factors the Commission considers in selecting the amendments included in §1B1.10(d). To the extent practicable, public comment should address each of these factors.
The text of the proposed amendments and related issues for comment are set forth below. Additional information pertaining to the proposed amendments and issues for comment described in this notice may be accessed through the Commission’s website at www.ussc.gov. In addition, as required by 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(4), plain-language summaries of the proposed amendments are available at https://www.ussc.gov/guidelines/amendments/proposed-2024-amendments-fed….
AUTHORITY: 28 U.S.C. 994(a), (o), (p), (x); USSC Rules of Practice and Procedure 2.2, 4.3, 4.4.
Carlton W. Reeves,
Chair