[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1365 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1365
To provide that Federal funds may not be made available to lawless
jurisdictions, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 3, 2023
Mr. Rosendale (for himself, Mr. Bishop of North Carolina, and Mr. Roy)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and
Accountability, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide that Federal funds may not be made available to lawless
jurisdictions, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Lawless Cities Accountability Act of
2023''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) It is the policy and purpose of the United States
Government to protect the lives and property of all people in
the United States from unlawful acts of violence and
destruction. Without law and order, democracy cannot function,
Americans cannot exercise their rights to peaceful expression,
assembly, and protest, property is destroyed, and innocent
citizens are injured or killed.
(2) Unfortunately, lawlessness has beset some of our States
and cities. Over the past few years, several State and local
governments have contributed to the violence and destruction in
their jurisdictions by failing to enforce the law,
disempowering and significantly defunding their police
departments, and refusing to accept offers of Federal law
enforcement assistance amidst widespread, sustained violence.
As a result of these State and local government policies, acts
of violence and destruction have skyrocketed and continue
unabated in many of America's cities.
(3) By shirking their responsibility to carry out law and
order, lawless jurisdictions enabled violent protestors and
rioters to inflict well over $1 billion in property damage
across the United States. Federal and State buildings,
businesses, and infrastructure were indiscriminately destroyed
by arsonists, vandals, and looters--harming their owners and
taxpayers--who ultimately bear the costs of unchecked anarchy
in American cities.
(4) The failure of cities to enforce the rule of law has
severe consequences and costs lives. In 2020, homicides in
major American cities skyrocketed by 33 percent, a trend that
continued into the first quarter of 2021. In certain cities
such as Portland and Minneapolis, the surge in death and
destruction is even starker, with homicides increasing by 733
percent in Portland and 82 percent in Minneapolis. The Federal
Government cannot sit idly by as property is damaged and
citizens are murdered in lawless jurisdictions.
(5) After being continually demeaned by radical activists
and politicians, having police funding slashed, being
disempowered from enforcing the rule of law, and witnessing
their cities deteriorate into lawless zones, our dedicated law
enforcement personnel are demoralized and leaving the force in
record numbers. In 2020, the New York Police Department saw
5,300 personnel leave the department, a 75 percent increase
from the previous year. The Minneapolis Police Department saw
105 officers leave the department in 2020, more than double
their average yearly attrition rate. Compounding the challenge
of mass retirements and an inordinate number of law enforcement
personnel on leaves of absence, police departments are facing
unprecedented recruitment challenges, leaving departments ill-
equipped to handle the dramatic rise in violent crime.
(6) The Federal Government provides States and localities
with hundreds of billions of dollars every year, which fund a
wide array of programs, such as housing, public transportation,
job training, and social services. These funds have been
collected from American taxpayers who entrusted their money to
the Federal Government to serve our communities and our
citizens.
(7) The Federal Government should not allow taxpayer
dollars to fund jurisdictions that fail to enforce the rule of
law and protect their residents. To ensure that Federal funds
are neither unduly wasted nor spent in a manner that directly
violates our Government's promise to protect life, liberty, and
property, it is imperative that the Federal Government ensure
Federal funds and grants do not go to jurisdictions that permit
anarchy, violence, and destruction in America's cities. This is
critical to ensure that Federal funds are used effectively, and
to safeguard taxpayer dollars entrusted to the Federal
Government for the benefit of the American people.
SEC. 3. NO FEDERAL FUNDS FOR LAWLESS JURISDICTIONS.
(a) In General.--No Federal funds may be made available to a
jurisdiction that the Attorney General determines is a lawless
jurisdiction.
(b) Attorney General Determinations.--Not later than 30 days after
the date of enactment of this Act, and not less than quarterly
thereafter, the Attorney General shall make determinations on which
jurisdictions are lawless jurisdictions, and shall make such
determinations, and an explanation of each determination, publicly
available.
(c) Reinstatement of Federal Funds.--A jurisdiction that the
Attorney General determines is a lawless jurisdiction may begin
receiving Federal funds on the later of--
(1) 180 days after the date on which the Attorney General
first determines that the jurisdiction is lawless; or
(2) the date on which the Attorney General determines that
the jurisdiction is no longer a lawless jurisdiction.
SEC. 4. DEFINITION.
In this Act, the term ``lawless jurisdiction'' means a State or
political subdivision of a State that--
(1) forbids a law enforcement agency from intervening to
restore order amid widespread or sustained violence or
destruction;
(2) has withdrawn law enforcement protection from a
geographical area or structure that law enforcement officers
are lawfully entitled to access, but have been officially
prevented from accessing or permitted to access only in
exceptional circumstances, except when law enforcement officers
are briefly withheld as a tactical decision intended to resolve
safely and expeditiously a specific and ongoing unlawful
incident posing an imminent threat to the safety of individuals
or law enforcement officers;
(3) disempowers or defunds law enforcement agencies; or
(4) refuses to accept an offer of law enforcement
assistance from the Federal Government amid widespread or
sustained violence or destruction in the jurisdiction, during
which the jurisdiction has been unable to restore order.
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