New GOP bill targets funding to states with lenient bail policies
FIRST ON FOX: A House Republican is moving to crack down on states where he says judges are able to release repeat, violent offenders with little transparency or explanation.Rep. Pat...
By Fox News · Fox News
FIRST ON FOX: A House Republican is moving to crack down on states where he says judges are able to release repeat, violent offenders with little transparency or explanation. Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-N.C., who introduced the No Free Pass for Felons Act on Friday, outlined the federal incentives the bill would impose. "Before a violent defendant is released, a judge must hold a real dangerousness hearing and go on the record about why that decision keeps the community safe," Harrigan said. HOUSTON THUG CHARGED WITH MURDER AFTER 8 ARRESTS SHOWS ‘REVOLVING DOOR’ FAILURES: GOP LAWMAKER Currently, states have a range of different requirements governing pretrial releases, leading to an uneven patchwork across the country. In North Carolina, for instance, judges must explain in writing why they would release a dependent charged with a felony offense — but only when the dependent is on probation for a prior offense. That's different from Virginia, where the law requires a magistrate to communicate the release of someone charged with an act of violence to an attorney of the commonwealth but doesn't call for a written explanation. The Republican bill would cut assistance to several federal grants unless states pass requirements to publish data on judges' pretrial decisions, prohibit cashless bail without a threat-assessment hearing and publish data on repeat offenders. States would have 18 months to implement the text's requirement after the bill’s enactment. The bill’s unveiling comes on the heels of several acts of violence committed by repeat offenders — like Decarlos Brown’s murder of Iryna Zarutska aboard a light rail in Charlotte, N.C. Brown had been arrested 14 times in the lead up to the August attack. More recently, a repeat offender by the name of Lawrence Reed set a woman on fire on Monday in Chicago after more than 70 prior arrests. As an example of a grant targeted by the bill, the act would cut funding provided by Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG…