Two Republicans in Congress are trial ballooning a bill they want to sponsor to increase transparency in crime reporting and get states and local governments to roll back cashless bail and other soft-on-crime policies.
In similar news releases provided to DOJ Newswire and posted online, House Rep. Jim Banks (R-Indiana) and Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) say their Concerned Citizens Bill of Rights would, among other things, take aim at cashless bail policies in Illinois, New York and elsewhere. The legislation also would block U.S. Department of Justice COPS and Byrne JAG grants from reaching state and local governments that have adopted those policies "or that fail to consider the criminal history and dangerousness of a criminal when determining pretrial release," both news releases said.
"Cities across the nation are now plagued by violent crime because far-left officials refuse to uphold the rule of law," Banks said in his news release, provided to DOJ Newswire. "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."
Crime has gotten worse under President Joe Biden's administration, Marshall said in his news release.
"Violence and disorder are sweeping the nation under President Joe Biden’s leadership," Marshall said. "Kansans' have seen the devastating consequences of the left's soft-on-crime attitude and do not want that coming to our state."
Marshall added that his father, a police chief, taught him "to respect those who keep us safe" and that "coddling of criminals and demonization of our brave law enforcement officers is personal for me."
"It has gone on long enough," Marshall said. "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."
What would be the House version of Banks' and Marshalls' Concerned Citizens Bill of Rights has been posted to Banks' congressional website but the bill apparently has not yet been introduced. The bill does not appear on Banks' or Marshall's list of bills they have sponsored or co-sponsored. The bill will have to be introduced before it will receive a House or Senate resolution or number, be assigned to committees and come up for votes.
Banks and Marshall's announced Concerned Citizens Bill of Rights follows the legislation passed and signed by the Democratic-lead government in Illinois to eliminate cash bail requirements for anybody charged with a felony in the state. News outlets in Illinois, including WAND TV in Central Illinois, have reported that no law enforcement groups in the state supported the cash bail elimination legislation, saying too little time was spent in public hearings and that it ultimately will lead to a rise in violent crime, endangering the public.
In 2020, New York City eliminated cash bail options for most crimes, according to a Fox News report in January.
Banks' and Marshalls' news releases also pointed to instructions Philadelphia police received in 2020 to no longer arrest suspects in various crimes, included narcotic offences, burglary and most thefts.
The following year, Philadelphia set a new all-time city high homicide record, NPR reported this past April.
New York City eliminated cash bail options for most crimes in 2020 and New York prevents judges from taking account the dangerousness of a defendant when making pretrial detentions decisions. During the first months of 2022, major crime was up 41%.
Banks and Marshall's possible legislation follows a Fox News analysis issued in May that found violent crime is on the rise in seven major U.S. cities: Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, Seattle and Washington. New York has sustained a 40% increase in violent crime over the past year while Chicago has seen a 35% rise in violent crime since 2021. Seattle's violent crime rate has surged by 23%, compared to 2021, while violent crime in Washington increased 21%. Baltimore's violent crime rate increased by 8% over last year and Los Angeles' violent crime rate went up almost 7% over the same period.
Earlier in May, Fox News reported on Biden's assertions that cities should use funds from the American Rescue plan to prioritize public safety and increase the number of police officers.
Also in May, Banks, who chairs The Republican Study Committee (RSC), released the committee's crime memo "Fighting the Left's Pro-Criminal Agenda," which blamed "the Left's radical anti-police agenda" for the nation's increase in violent crime. Radical Leftists and Democrats have been pushing its "Defund the Police" movement for years and now the nation's 50 largest cities have cut police force budgets by an average of 5% in the past year, according to the memo. The defunding lead to nationwide mass migration as police officers left their professions, 45% of whom chose to retire and another 18% quit.
