WASHINGTON – On Monday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05) introduced the Pretrial Release Reporting Act to require the Department of Justice (DOJ) to issue a report to Congress detailing information on individuals released on bail and pretrial release from state courts that are charged with violent felony offenses. The bill requires the DOJ to report on how state courts assess bail and other pretrial release conditions when releasing individuals that are charged with violent felony offenses. This information would inform Congress and the American public on the bail policies of their state courts and the frequency of violent offenders that are released into their communities on bail or other pretrial release conditions.
“The current Democrat polices of catch and release of violent offenders within our criminal justice system has resulted in untold tragedies throughout America. In Wisconsin, six innocent people lost their lives and 62 others were injured during the Waukesha Christmas Parade because a violent criminal was released on low bail. This horrific tragedy never should have happened, but was the direct result of the low bail, no bail policies implemented by soft on crime district attorneys and pushed by the Biden Administration. The Pretrial Release Reporting Act will bring transparency the American public deserve and make everyone aware of how frequent violent offenders are released into their communities after posting meager bail, or none at all. The American public has the right to know how these low bail policies resulting from democrat governance are endangering their communities,” said Sen. Johnson.
“The community of Waukesha was rocked to its core last winter when Darrell Brooks violently took the lives of six community members and injured dozens more. This incident could have been avoided and it exposed a severe shortcoming in the prosecutorial approach to bail and pre-trial release in Milwaukee County. Brooks should never have been released on such a trivial bail amount, and although we cannot turn back the clock, we must hold local leaders accountable moving forward. The Pretrial Release Reporting Act will do exactly that by requiring the DOJ to critically analyze how weak bail policies impact our communities,” said Congressman Fitzgerald.
Sen. Johnson and Rep. Fitzgerald are joined on the bill by Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas), John Thune (R-S.D.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Representatives Glenn Grothman (WI-06), Bryan Steil (WI-01), Mike Gallagher (WI-08), Tom Tiffany (WI-07), Ken Buck (CO-04), Dan Bishop (NC-09), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Yvette Herrell (NM-02), Ted Budd (NC-13), Matt Gaetz (FL-01), Mike Carey (OH-15) and Jake Ellzey (TX-06).
Read more about the bill on Fox News.
The full text of the bill can be found here.
