Keep Violent Criminals Off Our Streets Act
Key claim: The bill would bar states and localities from receiving Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant funds if they have laws or policies that substantially limit cash bail for people charged with violent, sexual, or public-disorder offenses.
Abstract
(S2705 · 119th Congress) Keep Violent Criminals Off Our Streets Act This bill prohibits the receipt of funds under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program by a state or local government that has in effect a law or policy that substantially limits cash bail for individuals who are charged with certain criminal offenses that pose a clear threat to public safety and order. Under the bill, the criminal offenses that pose a threat to public safety and order include criminal offenses involving a violent or sexual act (e.g., burglary, murder, or rape) and offenses that promote public disorder (e.g., looting or vandalism). Latest action (2025-09-04): Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Why this matters
Cash bail policy shapes who sits in jail before trial — a core due-process and equal-protection concern with disparate effects on low-income and minority defendants. By conditioning Byrne JAG funds (a major federal criminal-justice funding stream) on maintaining cash bail for certain charge categories, the bill would use federal spending power to constrain state and local bail-reform experimentation, effectively federalizing a debate that has largely played out in state legislatures and courts.