REP. FITZGERALD'S KEEPING VIOLENT OFFENDERS OFF OUR STREETS ACT PASSES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

The following information was released by the office of Wisconsin Rep. Scott Fitzgerald:

Congressman Scott Fitzgerald's (WI-05)Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets Act,legislation aimed at combating radical bail policies by subjecting bail bonds to insurance fraud laws, passed the House of Representatives today. Specifically, the bill defines bail bonds as insurance products, which subjects them to federal insurance fraud laws and allows states to enact licensing requirements for corporate, for-profit, and non-profit entities that post bail on behalf of defendants.

"Communities across the country have suffered the consequences of reckless soft-on-crime policies that put dangerous offenders back on the streets," said Congressman Fitzgerald. "The Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets Act restores accountability to the bail process by ensuring left-wing organizations that post bail for violent criminals are subject tofederal insurance laws and criminal fraud statutes. Public safety should always come first, and this legislation is key in protecting Americans and restoring common sense to our bail system. I thank my colleagues for their support of this bill, and I'll continue fighting to ensure tragedies like the 2021 Waukesha Christmas parade attack are never repeated."

BACKGROUND:This week the House is recognizing Police Week as it considers a series of measures aimed at strengthening support for law enforcement and improving public safety. The Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets Act was among the legislation considered as part of this important effort.

This bill addresses concerns surrounding charitable bail funds, which are organizations that use money from donations to help pay cash bail for defendants. These charitable funds are a small part of the larger movement to significantly reform or eliminate the cash bail system. Charitable bail funds regularly post bail for individuals charged with violent felonies and previous convictions.

For example, a CNN investigation in 2023 into charitable bail funds found that in Indiana from 2019 to 2021, "24 percent of the roughly 1,000 defendants cut loose by The Bail Project among the largest charitable bail groups in the United States had been charged with a crime of violence; 35 percent were facing felony charges and had a previous charge of at least one crime of violence." Adding even more cause for concern, according to CNN, at least nine individuals who were released by a bail charity were subsequently arrested for murder.