AMENDMENT 570
Section 5D1.2(a) is amended by deleting "If" and inserting in lieu thereof "Subject to subsection (b), if".
Section 5D1.2(b) is amended by deleting "Provided, that" and inserting in lieu thereof "Except as otherwise provided,"; and by deleting "in no event" and inserting in lieu thereof "not"
The Commentary to §5D1.2 is amended by inserting the following before "Background":
"Application Notes:
1. A defendant who qualifies under §5C1.2 (Applicability of Statutory Minimum Sentence in Certain Cases) is not subject to any statutory minimum sentence of supervised release. See 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f). In such a case, the term of supervised release shall be determined under subsection (a).
2. Upon motion of the Government, a defendant who has provided substantial assistance in the investigation or prosecution of another person who has committed an offense may be sentenced to a term of supervised release that is less than any minimum required by statute or the guidelines. See 18 U.S.C. § 3553(e), §5K1.1 (Substantial Assistance to Authorities).".
The Commentary to §5C1.2 captioned "Application Notes" is amended by inserting after Note 8 the following additional note:
"9. A defendant who meets the criteria under this section is exempt from any otherwise applicable statutory minimum sentence of imprisonment and statutory minimum term of supervised release.".
Reason for Amendment: This amendment amends §5D1.2 (Term of Supervised Release) to make clear that a defendant who qualifies under the "safety valve" (§5C1.2, 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f)), or who is the beneficiary of a Government substantial assistance motion under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(e), is not subject to any statutory minimum term of supervised release. This issue has arisen in a number of hotline calls. This amendment also clarifies that the requirement in subsection (a), with respect to the length of a term of supervised release, is subject to the requirement in subsection (b) that the term be not less than any statutorily required term of supervised release.
Effective Date: The effective date of this amendment is November 1, 1997.