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119-hr-6263119th Congress

No Free Pass for Felons Act of 2025

Sponsored By: Representative Harrigan, Pat [R-NC-10]

In Committee

Summary

Ties federal public-safety grants to stricter pretrial detention standards and annual transparency requirements. This bill would condition eligibility for Byrne Justice Assistance Grants (JAG), Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grants, and Transit Security Grants on limits to pretrial release for certain violent defendants and on collecting and publishing specified pretrial data.

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  • State and local governments and law enforcement would need to certify laws or policies that bar release on personal recognizance or unsecured appearance bonds for a "covered defendant" accused of a "covered violent offense" unless a court first holds a dangerousness hearing and issues a written on-the-record finding. Failure to meet the certification after notice and a cure period could reduce a grant to no more than 85% of the normally allocable amount.
  • Public transportation agencies seeking Transit Security Grants would also have to certify the state-level rules and the same annual data collection and publication. The Secretary may grant a temporary waiver for acute, site-specific security threats.
  • Jurisdictions would be required to collect and publish annual data on judges' release decisions, rearrests for covered violent offenses among released defendants, and failures to appear, disaggregated by type of pretrial release. The bill defines key terms and would require the Attorney General to issue implementing rules within 180 days and apply to grant applications in the first fiscal year beginning 18 months after enactment.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.

New pretrial rules tied to grants

This bill would tie eligibility for several federal public-safety grants (Byrne JAG, COPS, and Transit Security) to new pretrial release rules and reporting. Applicants would have to certify that their State or local government bars pretrial release on personal recognizance or an unsecured appearance bond for certain "covered" defendants unless a court first holds a dangerousness hearing and makes a written on-the-record finding. Jurisdictions would also have to collect and publish yearly data on judges' release decisions for covered violent offenses, rearrests for such offenses, and failures to appear, broken down by release type. The Attorney General could cut a Byrne JAG award to as little as 85% of the otherwise allocable amount after notice and a chance to cure. The changes would take effect for grant applications in the first fiscal year beginning 18 months after enactment, and the Attorney General must issue implementing rules within 180 days; Transit Security grants could get a temporary waiver for acute site-specific threats.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Harrigan, Pat [R-NC-10]

NC • R

Cosponsors

  • Rep. Nehls, Troy E. [R-TX-22]

    TX • R

    Sponsored 11/21/2025

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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