Criminal Justice (Policing)

in committee · United States · House Feb 5, 2025

HRES 116: Condemning the pardons for individuals who were found guilty of assaulting Capitol Police Officers.

HRES 116 is a non-binding House resolution condemning pardons granted to individuals convicted of assaulting Capitol Police officers. It expresses the House's disapproval of such pardons but does not alter any laws or affect legal proceedings. The resolution has no legal force and serves only as a formal statement of disapproval by the sponsoring lawmakers. It directly addresses the pardons of specific individuals found guilty in criminal cases related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol breach.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeCondemns pardons of Capitol assault offenders, reinforcing accountability in criminal cases against law enforcement per criminal justice reform indicators.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Policing

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in committee · United States · Senate Feb 9, 2026

S 3804: Under Color of Law Accountability Act

This bill would create new federal criminal offenses for law enforcement officers and government officials who use excessive force, steal property, or obstruct investigations into misconduct. It prohibits intentionally causing bodily injury through excessive force (with penalties up to 30 years for serious cases), stealing money or property valued over $25, and destroying evidence related to misconduct (with penalties up to 20 years). The legislation defines "excessive force" as objectively unreasonable force and establishes a 7-year statute of limitations for most offenses, except for those resulting in death, which have no time limit. This directly affects government officials acting under color of law by creating new accountability mechanisms for misconduct.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeCreates federal penalties for law enforcement misconduct, enhancing accountability and aligning with criminal justice reform goals.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Law Enforcement Policing

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in committee · United States · Senate Jul 15, 2025

S 2278: Graham Hoffman Act

This bill creates a new federal crime for assaulting first responders (like police, firefighters, and paramedics) causing serious injury or death, with enhanced penalties. It specifically applies when the assault involves interstate travel, weapons that crossed state lines, or interference with the responder's work affecting commerce. Penalties include up to 10 years in prison for serious injury, or life imprisonment if death occurs, kidnapping, or an attempt to kill happens. Federal prosecution requires Attorney General certification unless states decline jurisdiction or fail to adequately address the crime.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeCreates new federal crime with enhanced penalties for assaulting first responders, expanding criminalization. Aligns with 'oppose' indicators of increased penalties and expanded criminalization.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Corrections Policing Violent Crime

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in committee · United States · Senate May 12, 2025

S 1712: Criminal History Access Act of 2025

S 1712, the Criminal History Access Act of 2025, amends federal law to allow state "peace officer standards and training agencies" (agencies that set hiring and training standards for police officers) to access criminal history records for background checks. The bill adds these agencies to the list of entities authorized under Title 28 of U.S. Code to obtain such records. It requires the Attorney General to update federal regulations within 180 days of enactment to implement this change. This procedural amendment directly affects state law enforcement certification bodies by expanding their access to federal criminal history data.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeEnables police hiring agencies to access criminal records for background checks, enhancing officer accountability standards per criminal justice reform indicators.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Law Enforcement Policing

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in committee · United States · House Jan 30, 2026

HR 7278: Cost of Police Misconduct Act of 2026

HR 7278, the Cost of Police Misconduct Act of 2026, requires federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies receiving Byrne JAG program funds to collect and report detailed data on misconduct settlements and judgments. Agencies must track information like the type of allegation (e.g., use of force, racial profiling), costs paid, officer demographics, and funding sources, then submit annual reports to the Attorney General. Non-compliant states or localities face up to a 10% reduction in Byrne JAG or Cops on the Beat program funding. The Attorney General will create a public, searchable database of this aggregated data (excluding personal identifiers) and issue annual reports with recommendations for reducing misconduct. The bill mandates a GAO study after two years of data collection to analyze trends and costs across agencies.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeRequires data collection on police misconduct to enhance accountability, aligning with criminal justice reform indicators like transparency and oversight.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Law Enforcement Policing

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in committee · United States · House May 15, 2025

HR 3439: Defund Cities that Defund the Police Act of 2025

HR 3439, the "Defund Cities that Defund the Police Act of 2025," blocks certain federal grants from going to states or cities that significantly reduce police funding without a revenue shortfall. It defines a "defunding locality" as an urban city that disbands its police department or cuts its budget substantially (without prior revenue loss), and a "defunding state" similarly for state law enforcement agencies. The bill specifically denies eligibility for Economic Development Administration grants (like public works and planning funds) and Community Development Block Grants to these jurisdictions. If a recipient becomes a "defunding jurisdiction" during a grant period, it must return all funds received for that period.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill denies federal grants to cities defunding police, protecting essential public safety funding through fiscal leverage.90% confidence ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill blocks federal grants to cities/states defunding police without revenue loss, directly protecting and strengthening law enforcement funding as a core criminal justice element.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Revenue Law Enforcement Policing Tags Economic Development Public Safety

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in committee · United States · House May 29, 2025

HRES 451: Expressing condemnation for police brutality wherever in the world it occurs.

HRES 451 is a non-binding House resolution condemning police brutality globally and calling for specific U.S. policy changes. It directly affects U.S. foreign policy decisions by urging the government to halt arms exports and security assistance to countries with documented police brutality or impunity, and to end the use of militarized policing tactics domestically and internationally. The resolution also demands reallocating funds toward peacebuilding, mental health, and violence prevention programs instead of militarized policing. It emphasizes that police brutality disproportionately impacts vulnerable groups like racial minorities, migrants, and LGBTQIA+ individuals worldwide.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeCondemns police brutality, urges policy changes to end militarized policing, and reallocates funds to prevention - directly advancing accountability and reform in criminal justice.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill explicitly reallocates funds toward mental health services, a healthcare subtopic, as part of its funding reallocation demand.80% confidence

Sub-Topics Policing Mental Health

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in committee · United States · House Feb 2, 2026

HRES 1030: To end ICE abuse.

HRES 1030 is a non-binding House resolution (not a bill) calling for systemic reforms to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). It proposes concrete actions including ending qualified immunity for ICE agents, requiring body cameras and visible identification for officers, mandating independent investigations into use-of-force incidents, and replacing ICE with a new Department of Justice agency subject to civilian oversight. The resolution directly affects ICE operations, federal officials, and individuals in immigration custody by demanding accountability for alleged misconduct and structural changes to enforcement practices. It does not create new law but urges the House to take specific actions like opposing DHS funding and repealing $75 billion in ICE appropriations.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeEnds qualified immunity, mandates body cameras/investigations, and requires civilian oversight for ICE - directly enhancing law enforcement accountability in criminal justice.95% confidence ✓ ImmigrationSupports ImmigrationBill directly targets ICE abuse through reforms like ending qualified immunity, body cameras, and civilian oversight to protect immigrants from enforcement misconduct.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Policing Detention Enforcement Sanctuary Policies

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in committee · United States · Senate May 22, 2025

S 1913: Ending Qualified Immunity Act

S 1913, the "Ending Qualified Immunity Act," amends Section 1983 of federal law (42 U.S.C. 1983) to remove qualified immunity as a defense in civil rights lawsuits. It directly affects government officials (like police or local officials) sued for violating constitutional rights and the plaintiffs who have been denied redress due to this defense. The bill's key provision explicitly states that a defendant cannot claim as a defense that they acted in good faith, reasonably believed their conduct was lawful, the right wasn't clearly established, or the law was unclear at the time of the violation. This change aims to restore the original intent of Section 1983, which allows lawsuits against officials acting under color of law without immunity defenses based on subjective good faith or unclear legal standards.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeRemoves qualified immunity, enhancing police accountability in civil rights cases, directly advancing criminal justice reform goals.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Civil Rights Policing Tags Civil Liberties

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in committee · United States · House Sep 26, 2025

HR 5594: Protect Your PIN Act of 2025

This bill amends the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022 to clarify and expand law enforcement support for identity theft cases. It defines "identity theft" as criminal acts involving unauthorized use of another person's identifying details (like Social Security numbers or bank info), and adds "identity theft" to existing federal grant programs for local police to investigate cybercrimes. These grants will now fund investigations into identity theft alongside other cybercrimes. The bill directly affects local law enforcement agencies receiving these grants and victims of identity theft by improving enforcement resources. (Note: The title "Protect Your PIN" is misleading; the bill focuses on identity theft definitions and funding, not PIN security.)

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeAdds identity theft to federal cybercrime grant programs, expanding law enforcement resources for investigations under criminal justice framework.95% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyExpands federal grants for identity theft investigations, enhancing data privacy protections against cybercrime by funding law enforcement efforts.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Domestic Violence Law Enforcement Policing

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