Smarter Pretrial Detention for Drug Charges Act of 2026

This bill would change the federal law that governs whether a person charged with a federal crime is held in jail or released before trial. It would remove the part of that law, subsection (e)(3)(A), that the bill's title connects to defendants charged with nonviolent drug offenses. Under current law, that part sets a rule that detention is presumed for people charged with certain drug crimes. The bill states its purpose as giving federal courts more discretion to decide whether to hold these defendants before trial. It would also update an outdated legal citation in the same section of law.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Richard J. Durbin Democrat sponsor
• 3 cosponsors