I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1886 
To establish the National Criminal Justice Commission. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 4, 2017 
Mr. DEUTCH (for himself and Mr. THOMAS J. ROONEY of Florida) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To establish the National Criminal Justice Commission. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Criminal Jus-
tice Commission Act of 2017’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that— 
(1) it is in the interest of the Nation to estab-
lish a commission to undertake a comprehensive re-
view of the criminal justice system; 
(2) there has not been a comprehensive study 
since the President’s Commission on Law Enforce-
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ment and Administration of Justice was established 
in 1965; 
(3) that commission, in a span of 18 months, 
produced a comprehensive report entitled ‘‘The 
Challenge of Crime in a Free Society’’, which con-
tained 200 specific recommendations on all aspects 
of the criminal justice system involving Federal, 
State, tribal, and local governments, civic organiza-
tions, religious institutions, business groups, and in-
dividual citizens; and 
(4) developments over the intervening 50 years 
require once again that Federal, State, tribal, and 
local governments, law enforcement agencies, includ-
ing rank and file officers, civil rights organizations, 
community-based organization leaders, civic organi-
zations, religious institutions, business groups, and 
individual citizens come together to review evidence 
and consider how to improve the criminal justice 
system. 
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMISSION. 
There is established a commission to be known as the 
‘‘National Criminal Justice Commission’’ (referred to in 
this Act as the ‘‘Commission’’). 
SEC. 4. PURPOSE OF THE COMMISSION. 
The Commission shall— 
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(1) undertake a comprehensive review of the 
criminal justice system; 
(2) make recommendations for Federal criminal 
justice reform to the President and Congress; and 
(3) disseminate findings and supplemental guid-
ance to the Federal Government, as well as to State, 
local, and tribal governments. 
SEC. 5. REVIEW, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND REPORT. 
(a) GENERAL REVIEW.—The Commission shall un-
dertake a comprehensive review of all areas of the criminal 
justice system, including Federal, State, local, and tribal 
governments’ criminal justice costs, practices, and policies. 
(b) RECOMMENDATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months 
after the first meeting of the Commission, the Com-
mission shall submit to the President and Congress 
recommendations for changes in Federal oversight, 
policies, practices, and laws designed to prevent, 
deter, and reduce crime and violence, reduce recidi-
vism, improve cost-effectiveness, and ensure the in-
terests of justice at every step of the criminal justice 
system. 
(2) UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUIRED.—A rec-
ommendation of the Commission may be adopted 
and submitted under paragraph (1) if the rec-
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