Article courtesy of the Daily Caller
By Henry Rodgers – Published: October. 25, 2022 at 12:23 PM ET
Republican Indiana Rep. Jim Banks and Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall plan to introduce legislation that would block certain Department of Justice (DOJ) grants from going to jurisdictions that have abolished cash bail or that do not consider past criminal history of a defendant when releasing them from jail pretrial.
The legislation, first obtained by the Daily Caller, is titled the Concerned Citizens Bill of Rights. The bill would require states and localities to fully report crime data to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). It would also require policies that result in the non-enforcement and/or non-prosecution of crime, sentencing data, post pretrial release criminal statistics, and ongoing strategies to hire and retain law enforcement and reduce crime in their jurisdiction.
The bill would also allow existing DOJ CITA grants to be used to help smaller municipalities that have populations under 150,000 with reporting requirements.
An analysis released in June showed six major U.S. cities were on track to surpass historic crime records reached in 2021. Violent crimes hit record highs in 2021 in Atlanta, Baltimore, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., and these cities were all expected to pass their violent crime rates by halfway into 2022.
“Cities across the nation are now plagued by violent crime because far-left officials refuse to uphold the rule of law. Every American deserves to live in a community where they feel safe, and our legislation will ensure the federal government is not subsidizing and enabling the Democrats’ radical, lawless agenda,” Republican Study Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Banks told the Caller before introducing the bill.
“Violence and disorder are sweeping the nation under President Joe Biden’s leadership. Kansans have seen the devastating consequences of the left’s soft-on-crime attitude and do not want that coming to our state. As the son of a police chief, who taught me to respect those who keep us safe, the coddling of criminals and demonization of our brave law enforcement officers is personal for me. It has gone on long enough,” Marshall said in a statement. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Republican Governors To Release Video Slamming Dems For Being Soft On Crime)
“No Federal funds should be given to jurisdictions that push failed policies like recklessly ending cash bail or illogically barring judges from considering a defendant’s criminal history. Americans deserve to be safe and they deserve a government that prioritizes that safety above whatever progressive agenda is being hailed by woke radicals on the internet,” Marshall added. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: House Oversight Republicans Demand Mayor Bowser Provide Plan To Address Rampant Violent Crime In Nation’s Capital)
The two lawmakers believe the American people have the right to know when their government officials are undertaking pro-criminal policies, and want Americans to see how harmful they say these policies can be.
Original Article – https://dailycaller.com/2022/10/25/jim-banks-roger-marshall-legislation-defund-far-left-district-attorneys/