WASHINGTON (BRPROUD) — U.S. Senator John Kennedy says he’s introducing a bill to strip federal funding from district attorney offices that fail to prosecute violent criminals.
The “Prosecutors Need to Prosecute Act” would require elected district attorneys to report violent crimes they fail to charge criminals with committing. Jurisdictions with policies that do not have cash bail for offenses involving guns would lose certain federal grant funding.
According to a news release from Kennedy’s office, the proposed bill is a response to a nationwide trend of district attorneys who are declining to prosecute murder, aggravated assault, robbery, rape, burglary, motor vehicle theft, arson and other serious crimes.
“Criminals are victimizing innocent Americans, and woke prosecutors are letting them do it over and over again,” said Kennedy. “Louisianians and all Americans deserve to know when their district attorneys refuse to stand up for victims. Our bill would require prosecutors to report what crimes they fail to prosecute so that Americans can better hold their public servants accountable.”
The proposal comes within a week of the Orleans Parish district attorney having a case squashed for the second time in less than two months, after missing a deadline to charge an accused juvenile gunman.
Kennedy’s office said the proposed legislation would help the Justice Department “better determine which jurisdictions are allowing defendants to avoid criminal penalties for serious crimes.”
“For example, jurisdictions with a formal policy that eliminates cash bail for offenses involving a firearm would lose certain federal grant funding,” the news release stated.
Senators John Thune (R-S.D.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) are cosponsors of the bill.
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