Bill · S. 234· Senate(119-S-234)
Prosecutors Need to Prosecute Act of 2025
- Introduced
- 1/23/2025
- Last activity
- 1/23/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- Sponsored by
- John Kennedy
- Cosponsors
- - 1 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The "Prosecutors Need to Prosecute Act of 2025" seeks to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. It requires certain prosecutor's offices to submit annual reports to the Attorney General regarding specific crimes and case decisions. These reports must include details on declined prosecutions, plea agreements involving repeat offenders, and internal policies against prosecution. The Attorney General will establish uniform standards for these reports and share the information with House and Senate Judiciary Committees and a public website. Additionally, the bill mandates that funding priority be given to compliant prosecutors. Finally, it restricts fund distribution to governments with policies prohibiting cash bail for specific firearm offenses.
Yes
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?+7
The bill requires prosecutors to publish case data and prosecution policies on a public website.
Does this change how police departments operate?+4
The bill increases oversight of prosecutor decisions and case declination through mandatory annual reporting.
Does this put more limits on buying or owning guns?+2
The bill targets offenses involving the illegal use or possession of firearms via funding restrictions.
The opposite
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?-3
The bill penalizes local governments that have policies prohibiting cash bail, which can disproportionately affect low-income defendants.
Would people in cities be better off under this?-2
The bill targets larger jurisdictions with populations over 360,000, which are often urban centers, by imposing new reporting burdens.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Increased Transparency: Covered prosecutors must submit annual reports regarding cases such as murder, robbery, and firearm offenses to the Attorney-General (Section 2, subsection 2). This information must be published on a publicly viewable website (Section 2, subsection 5, subparagraph B), allowing the public to see how cases are being handled.
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Financial Incentives for Reporting: The Attorney General is directed to give priority in disbursing funds to local governments served by covered prosecutors who comply with the new reporting requirements (Section 2, subsection 3, subparagraph A).
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Accountability for Prosecution Policies: The bill requires reporting on the number of offenses a prosecutor does not prosecute due to an internal policy against prosecuting specific criminal offenses (Section 2, subsection 2, subparagraph D).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Funding Restrictions Based on Bail Policies: The Attorney General is prohibited from distributing certain funds to any State or local government that has a policy in effect prohibiting the use of cash bail for defendants in cases involving the illegal use or illegal possession of a firearm (Section 3).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+7
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Policing Reform+4Improves Gun Control Measures+2
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Low Income Households-3Good For Urban Residents-2
- 1/23/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
Ted CruzRepublican · Texas