Kennedy Introduces Senate Companion to Malliotakis Prosecutors Need to Prosecute Act
(WASHINGTON, DC) - Today Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), announced Senator John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has introduced her bill, the Prosecutors Need to Prosecute Act, in the U.S. Senate.
This legislation, which has been endorsed by the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) would hold woke District Attorneys (DA) accountable and create transparency by requiring they report the number of violent crimes they decline to prosecute, the number of offenses committed by career criminals and the number of criminals released. Prosecutors who fail to report these statistics would risk losing federal grant funding from the Department of Justice.
"Criminals are victimizing innocent Americans, and woke prosecutors are letting them do it over and over again," said Senator Kennedy. "Louisianians and all Americans deserve to know when their district attorneys refuse to stand up for victims. Our bill would require prosecutors to report what crimes they fail to prosecute so that Americans can better hold their public servants accountable."
Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) have cosponsored the bill.
"Over the past two years, we've seen a disturbing trend in big-city district attorneys working to keep dangerous criminals on our streets rather than behind bars," Congresswoman Malliotakis said. "Look no further than my city of New York where Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg released a 'Day One' memo initially directing his staff to not prosecute certain crimes, downgrade other felony charges filed by police, and no longer seek sentences of life without parole. The same type of woke policies have been enacted by progressive DAs in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia, and voters have had enough. With prosecutors refusing to prosecute and governors only enabling their leniency, Congress has a responsibility to step in. I appreciate Senator Kennedy's partnership to help arm the public with the information they need to make informed decisions at the ballot box."
In 2020, police made hundreds of arrests in connection with the Defund the Police protests in New York City and Portland, Oregon, to which progressive DAs dismissed the majority of charges filed. In recent months several progressive DAs have faced pressure to step down, including San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin who was ousted for his soft-on-crime policies, and Los Angeles DA George Gascón who barely survived a recall attempt. Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner recently faced seven articles of impeachment from the State Legislature. 58% of likely voters believe removing prosecutors who fail to uphold the law would improve safety in their communities.
"Our nation’s state and local law enforcement officers risk their lives to apprehend violent suspects and defendants to protect the public, only to see those criminals released due to the decisions of certain prosecutors who do not respect the rule of law," said Bill Johnson, NAPO Executive Director. "NAPO thanks Congresswoman Malliotakis for the Prosecutors Need to Prosecute Act, which will make prosecutorial decision-making more transparent and accountable, ensuring the safety of our communities and our officers."
Malliotakis' legislation has been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary and is cosponsored by Reps. Andy Barr (KY-06), Ken Calvert (CA-41), Kat Cammack (FL-03), Dan Crenshaw (TX-02), Jake Ellzey (TX-06), Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05), Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA-14), Darrell Issa (CA-48), Mike Johnson (LA-04), John Joyce (PA-13), Darin LaHood (IL-16), Debbie Lesko (AZ-08), Tom McClintock, (CA-05), Jim Moylan (GU-At large), Dan Newhouse (WA-04), Bill Posey (FL-08), Guy Reschenthaler (PA-14), Chris Smith (NJ-04), Pete Stauber (MN-08), Elise Stefanik (NY-21), Tom Tiffany (WI-07), Beth Van Duyne (TX-24), Daniel Webster (FL-11), and Brandon Williams (NY-22).