Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets Act of 2025
Floor Speech
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Mrs. McBATH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 6260, the Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets Act, which is, I think, just another example again of unnecessary Federal meddling into policies that should be left to the States. There again, we keep talking about States' rights, but we keep putting forth legislation that meddles in those States' rights.
This bill actually weaponizes the Federal Government against bail funds and strengthens the for-profit bail bond industry.
It has the potential to destroy bail funds, including any organization that posts monetary bail, criminal bonds, or Federal immigration bail bonds, which would be subject to the Federal insurance fraud statute. That means churches, faith groups, nonprofits, and other community organizations that pool their financial resources--we just heard an example of that--to protect people from a system that punishes poverty and destabilizes families and oftentimes coerces guilty pleas that are subject to criminal liability.
Proponents of this bill have previously claimed that bail funds operate in the shadows and that their donations come with little to no scrutiny, and that is simply not the truth.
For example, The Bail Project, a 501(c)(3) organization, is subject to regular monitoring and oversight by the IRS. Adding nonsensical layers of bureaucracy is most likely going to make more communities unsafe, but it will also make it harder for organizations to help those people in need. We just heard examples of organizations that are doing really good work to help people get out because they don't have money for their bonds.
There are nearly half-a-million people across the country in pretrial detention, meaning they are sitting in jail right now, and they have not been convicted of a crime. They are simply there because they can't afford to pay for their freedom. We should all think that is pretty tragic.
Without the help of organizations willing to provide free bail assistance, people that can't afford bail could just continue to languish in jail for years while they are waiting for their trials.
I have talked to constituents in my own district that are doing that very thing. While they sit in jail, they are actually losing their jobs. They lose their homes, their medical coverage, or even custody of their children.
I want to be perfectly clear too. I want to make sure that we keep violent offenders off the street. Yes, my own situation, having lost my son, the violent offender who murdered my son, he is in jail. He is in prison. He is off the street. I want that for every violent offender. I believe that everyone in this Chamber also wants all of our violent offenders off the street.
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Mrs. McBATH. But this bill doesn't do it.
I need to reiterate that a charge is not a conviction, and H.R. 6260 will keep charged Americans jobless. It is going to keep them homeless, and it is going to keep them in poverty. It has the potential to leave the children of charged, not convicted, Americans parentless.
I urge my colleagues to vigorously oppose this legislation.
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