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119-s-234119th Congress

Prosecutors Need to Prosecute Act of 2025

Sponsored By: Senator Kennedy, John [R-LA]

Introduced

Summary

Require annual reporting by large-jurisdiction prosecutors and tie Byrne JAG funding to that reporting and to local bail policies. This bill would require prosecutors serving jurisdictions with 360,000 or more people that receive Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant funds to report case counts and outcomes for specified serious violent, property, and firearm offenses.

Show full summary
  • Covered prosecutors would submit yearly reports to the Attorney General counting cases referred, cases declined or diverted, plea agreements, and offenses not prosecuted because of internal policies. For plea agreements or diversions the reports must note if the defendant had prior arrests, convictions, open cases, probation, or parole for separate covered offenses.
  • If a covered prosecutor complies with the reporting rules, the Department of Justice would give priority in disbursing Byrne JAG funds to that local government and the local government must ensure the prosecutor receives a portion of those funds.
  • A State or local government that bars cash bail for defendants in cases involving illegal use or illegal possession of a firearm would be ineligible to receive Byrne JAG funds.
  • The Attorney General would set uniform reporting standards, publish the collected data on a public website, and submit it to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

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

Annual prosecutor reports and grant priority

If enacted, this bill would require the chief prosecutor of a district attorney or prosecutor's office that serves a local government with at least 360,000 people and that gets funds under this part to send a yearly report to the Attorney General. The first report would be due not later than one year after enactment and each report would cover the prior fiscal year. Reports would list totals for specified serious crimes (murder, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, arson, and offenses involving illegal use or possession of a firearm). Reports must show cases referred for prosecution, cases the prosecutor declined to prosecute or declined plea/diversion, detailed counts for defendants in plea/diversion with prior arrests, convictions, open cases, probation, or parole for separate covered offenses, and the number and scope of covered offenses excluded from prosecution due to internal non‑prosecution policies. The Attorney General would set uniform report standards, publish the data on a public website, and send it to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees. If a covered prosecutor complies, the Attorney General would give priority in disbursing funds under this part to that prosecutor's local government, and that local government would have to ensure the prosecutor's office gets a portion of the funds.

Local governments lose grants for firearm bail bans

If enacted, the bill would bar the Attorney General from giving certain federal Byrne‑style grants (under a part of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act) to any State or local government that has a policy banning the use of cash bail for defendants in cases involving the illegal use or illegal possession of a firearm. This restriction would take effect upon enactment and would make those governments ineligible for those specific grant distributions.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Kennedy, John [R-LA]

LA • R

Cosponsors

  • Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX]

    TX • R

    Sponsored 1/23/2025

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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