Citizens’ Right to Know Act of 2019

Bill: 116-hr-5320
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Higgins, Clay [R-LA-3]
Introduced: 2019-12-05
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Criminal justice information and records

Criminal procedure and sentencing

Government information and archives

Law enforcement administration and funding

State and local government operations
Latest action: action_date: 2020-01-30
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.

Summaries:
action_date: 2019-12-05
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Citizens' Right to Know Act of 2019</b></p> <p>This bill requires a state or local government that receives funds under a Department of Justice (DOJ) grant program and uses such funds for a pretrial services program to annually report to DOJ the amount of money allocated for the pretrial services program and certain information about participating defendants.</p> <p>DOJ must make the information publicly available. </p>

tv_txt: I 116th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 5320 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES December 5, 2019 Mr. Higgins of Louisiana introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To require States and units of local government receiving funds under grant programs operated by the Department of Justice, which use such funds for pretrial services programs, to submit to the Attorney General a report relating to such program, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Citizens’ Right to Know Act of 2019 . 2. Reporting requirement for Department of Justice grant recipients using funds for pretrial services programs (a) In general For each fiscal year in which a State or unit of local government receives funds under any grant program operated by the Department of Justice, including the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance grant program under subpart I of part E of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 ( 42 U.S.C. 3750 et seq.), and which uses funds received under such program for a pretrial services program, the State or unit of local government shall submit to the Attorney General a report which contains the following: (1) The name of each defendant participating in a pretrial release program administered by the pretrial services program, and whether, as applicable, each occasion on which such defendant failed to make an appearance. (2) Information relating to any prior convictions of each defendant participating in the pretrial services program. (3) The amount of money allocated for the pretrial services program. (b) Publication requirement Subject to any applicable confidentiality requirements, the Attorney General shall, on an annual basis, make publicly available the information received under subsection (a). (c) Reduction in funding The Attorney General shall, for State or unit of local government which fails to comply with the requirement under subsection (a) for a fiscal year, reduce the amount that the State or local government would otherwise receive under each grant program described in subsection (a) in the following fiscal year by 100 percent. (d) Reallocation Amounts not allocated to a State or unit of local government under subsection (c) shall be reallocated under each such grant program to States and units of local government that comply with the requirement under subsection (a). (e) Definition The term failed to make an appearance means an action whereby any defendant has been charged with an offense before a court and who is participating in a pretrial release program for which funds received under a grant program referred to in subsection (a) are used as a condition of pretrial release— (1) does not appear for any court date regarding such charge; (2) does not appear for any one appointment with the pretrial services program; or (3) does not appear for any post-release appearance the court may require.