Prosecutors Need to Prosecute Act of 2025

Full Title:
Prosecutors Need to Prosecute Act of 2025

Summary#

This bill, called the Prosecutors Need to Prosecute Act of 2025, would change part of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. It requires certain local prosecutors to send an annual report to the U.S. Attorney General. "Covered prosecutors" are chiefs of prosecutor or district attorney offices that serve a jurisdiction with at least 360,000 people and that receive funds under the named part of the Act.

The reports must cover the previous fiscal year and include: the total number of cases referred for listed "covered offenses" (murder, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, arson, illegal use of a firearm, and illegal possession of a firearm); how many such cases the prosecutor declined to prosecute or declined to refer for diversion; how many such cases the prosecutor declined to reach a plea agreement on; for plea agreements or diversions, how many defendants had prior arrests, prior convictions, open related cases, were on probation, or were on parole for separate covered offenses; and how many covered offenses the prosecutor did not prosecute because of an internal policy, including which offenses are included in or excluded from that internal policy.

If a covered prosecutor submits the report as required, the Attorney General must give priority in disbursing funds under that part to the local government served by the prosecutor, and that local government must ensure the prosecutor receives a portion of those funds. The Attorney General must set uniform reporting standards, send the received information to the Judiciary Committees of both chambers of Congress, and publish the information on a public website.

The bill also says the Attorney General must not distribute Byrne-JAG funds under the same part to any State or local government that has a policy banning the use of cash bail for defendants in cases involving illegal use or illegal possession of a firearm.

What it means for you#

  • If you are the chief prosecutor in a local office serving 360,000 people or more and your office receives the listed federal funds, you would need to file detailed yearly reports about how your office handles specific serious and firearm-related offenses.
  • Local governments that receive these federal funds must ensure a portion goes to the covered prosecutor when the prosecutor meets the reporting requirement.
  • A State or local government that has a policy prohibiting cash bail for defendants in illegal firearm-use or possession cases would not receive Byrne-JAG funds from the Attorney General under this bill.

Expenses#

No publicly available information on estimated costs or budget effects is included in the bill text or metadata provided. The bill requires reporting and data publication but does not contain a Congressional Budget Office estimate or other cost numbers.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.