House Republicans propose crackdown on cities with cashless bail, soft-on-crime policies
For decades, a few cities have been known as “cashless jails.” They let convicts off with a cash bond, but they don’t keep cash on hand for paying other obligations, including taxes and fines. The problem? If cash is lost or stolen, the city could lose tax revenue. Now, the House of Representatives is weighing proposals to crack down on the practices.
Calls and emails to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation were not immediately returned Monday. But the bills introduced in the lower chamber would direct the FBI to develop an annual crime statistics report, and would require cities to get a certain percentage of their financial obligations from government-issued bonds.
The bills are being considered at the behest of U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-MI), who sits on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that’s investigating a variety of money laundering questions. The bill was introduced as a rider on the Defense Authorization bill, which passed the House yesterday.
“It makes sense that if we cannot control our budget, we have to have some accountability,” Conyers said Monday.
The bills, referred to as the “Federal Cashless Jails Reduction Act” in a news release, would direct the FBI to study whether it will be helpful to cities to eliminate cash bonds. A report detailing the findings of the study, to be sent to Congress no later than January, would be required to be shared with cities, the news release said.
The bills also would require cities to report to Congress on their use of cash bonds, and require the FBI to study a “number of factors,” including whether cities have met the criteria for having a “cashless jail.”
“We have been getting requests from state and city officials on all the various ways that cities get to