Both chambers of Congress file to end cashless bail nationwide

Audio By Carbonatix

(The Center Square) – Federal funding, and the ability to withhold it, is being used as an incentive within two proposals tied to violent crime and the judicial system.

Each was introduced last week in the U.S. Senate and on Monday came forward in the House of Representatives. District of Columbia Cash Bail Reform Act and Keep Violent Criminals Off Our Streets Act were each filed by Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., with cosponsorship from a North Carolina congressman whose district is adjacent to where a woman was murdered Aug. 22 in Charlotte.

The cashless bail measure would not only end it in Washington but also across the nation through the strip of federal funding where policies and officials result in violent criminals getting back on the streets, Stefanik says. She said a suspect from Guatemala is free without bail following an Aug. 14 arrest and charged with four felonies and two misdemeanors.

Prosecutors say he sold gummies with THC to 12 students; they were rushed to a hospital later.

Moore, joined by Michigan Republican John James, said Iryna Zarutska should still be alive. Decarlos Brown Jr., arrested 14 times previously including for assault, armed robbery and felony larceny, is charged with murder in her stabbing death that was captured on video by the Charlotte Area Transit System.

“If leaders willingly refuse to do their job to lock up dangerous criminals,” Moore said, “they shouldn’t get a dime of federal support.”

His district, the 14th, is the western edge of the 12th Congressional District of Rep. Alma Adams, D-N.C.

Adams on Monday said in a statement, "I will continue working with leaders at all levels of government to provide for the public safety of our district, including accessible, well-funded mental health services. We owe it to our community to always make their health and safety our top priority." 

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., filed both bills in her chamber on Thursday.

Stefanik’s bill is backed by the National Association of Bail Agents.

“The National Association of Bail Agents & the NYS Bail Association are proud to stand with Congresswoman Elise Stefanik's bill to end cashless bail policies in DC and across the nation!” said President Michelle Esquenazi. “We applaud Congresswoman Elise Stefanik's bold initiatives and leadership, and we are certain that this legislation will serve to protect the public safety of law-abiding citizens everywhere!”