have adopted resolutions in support of Federal legislation providing for the use of minority impact assessments. (10) Precedent for adopting procedural measures that increase critical deliberation and require independent analysis at the Federal level of racial disparities in criminal justice already exists in the form of scores from the Congressional Budget Office. (11) Deeply rooted discriminatory policies and practices in our legal system fuel systemic inequalities and cycles of poverty and hardship, stigmatize and exclude people with criminal records, and impede community integration. (12) Requiring an independent assessment with sobering information on the impact of legislation that adds or increases criminal penalties is one way to level the inequities that disproportionately impact people of color, LGBTQ individuals, individuals with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups in sentencing. (13) Congress must institutionalize a more deliberate and evidence-based process prior to voting to criminalize conduct and impose harsh sentences. (b) Purpose The purpose of this Act is to provide a tool for lawmakers and Federal agencies to determine whether pending bills and proposed rules, if enacted, are likely to create or exacerbate disparate outcomes among racial or ethnic minority groups. 3. Minority impact assessment requirements (a) Minority impact assessments on legislation The Comptroller General of the United States, in consultation with the Sentencing Commission and the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, shall prepare and submit a minority impact assessment to Congress on a covered bill or joint resolution prior to the consideration of such a bill or joint resolution on the floor of the House of Representatives or of the Senate. (b) Minority impact assessments on rules The Comptroller General of the United States, in consultation with the Sentencing Commission and the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, shall prepare and publish in the Federal Register along with the general