# 119-hr-2669: Community First Act

119-hr-2669, Community First Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Bell, Wesley [D-MO-1] (D-MO); status introduced (as of 2026-09-27).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2669
- As of: 2026-09-27
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-2669
- Congress: 119
- Title: Community First Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-04-07
- Sponsor: Rep. Bell, Wesley [D-MO-1] (D-MO)
- Cosponsors: 14
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-27

## Summary

**This bill would create a Justice Department grant program to help jurisdictions** reduce local jail incarceration and cut days people spend behind bars while funding community-led reinvestment. - Local governments, courts, and public defenders would get planning grants up to $100,000 for one year and six-year implementation grants that start between $500,000 and $3,000,000 in year one. Grantees would face staged reduction targets starting at 5% in year one and rising over the grant to reach significant cuts by the end of the award. - People charged and jailed and their families could see more diversion options, less reliance on cash bail, expanded pretrial services and early counsel, and training for indigent defense. Grantees must reinvest savings into sustaining community-based services. - Eligibility and oversight would push partnerships of at least two local entities or nonprofits, require external evaluation, and give priority to high-incarceration and smaller or rural jurisdictions. Ten percent of appropriated funds would support evaluation. *Would authorize $20.0 million per year for planning grants and $100.0 million per year for implementation grants for fiscal years 2026–2030, with 10% reserved for evaluation.*

## Cosponsors (14)

- Rep. Cleaver, Emanuel [D-MO-5] (D-MO), 2025-04-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-9] (D-NY), 2025-04-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Figures, Shomari [D-AL-2] (D-AL), 2025-04-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10] (D-NJ), 2025-04-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Jackson, Jonathan L. [D-IL-1] (D-IL), 2025-04-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bishop, Sanford D. [D-GA-2] (D-GA), 2025-04-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thompson, Bennie G. [D-MS-2] (D-MS), 2025-04-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13] (D-MI), 2025-04-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4] (D-GA), 2025-04-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ivey, Glenn [D-MD-4] (D-MD), 2025-04-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2025-04-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ansari, Yassamin [D-AZ-3] (D-AZ), 2025-04-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Crockett, Jasmine [D-TX-30] (D-TX), 2025-04-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Wilson, Frederica S. [D-FL-24] (D-FL), 2025-04-07T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Five-year funding for local jail reform: benefit, high. If enacted, the government would authorize $20 million each year for planning grants and $100 million each year for implementation grants, for fiscal years 2026–2030. Ten percent of any implementation money later appropriated would be set aside for evaluation. This authorizes funding only; Congress…
- Six-year grants with performance targets: benefit, high. If enacted, planning grants would last 1 year and could be up to $100,000 each. Implementation grants would run 6 years. Year 1 would be $500,000–$3,000,000, based on an approved budget. Year 2 would be 10% less than Year 1; Year 3, 15% less; Year 4, 20% less; Year 5, 25% less. Year 6 money could o…
- What grants could fund and who applies: benefit, medium. If enacted, grant money could pay to cut cash bail use, reduce revocations of probation or parole, expand pretrial services with community groups, speed case processing, ensure lawyers at first hearings, train public defenders, and expand diversion that avoids guilty pleas and jail for noncomplianc…
- Audits and loss of grants if targets missed: mixed, low. If enacted, the Bureau of Justice Assistance would audit any grantee that misses required incarceration or equity goals in a year. The grantee would need to adopt new strategies found by the audit. If a grantee misses the targets two years in a row, the Attorney General would end the award. If an a…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-5361: George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2025
- 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-2669 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2669)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-5361: George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5361)
- [119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-51)
- [119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-20)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2669 (as of 2026-09-27).