Berks County News

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Dan Meuser (PA-09) has introduced a new bill aimed at holding prosecutors accountable for their actions. The legislation, known as the Holding Prosecutors Accountable Act (H.R. 6999), seeks to ensure that prosecutors fulfill their duty to uphold state and federal laws.

One of the key provisions of the bill is the requirement for prosecutors' offices to prosecute at least 67% of arrests for violent crimes. Failure to meet this threshold would render the office ineligible for Department of Justice Byrne Grants, which provide federal justice funding to state and local jurisdictions. Congressman Meuser highlights the growing trend of ideological prosecutors in major cities who are allowing criminals to go unpunished.

"Increasingly in our country's major cities, ideological prosecutors are allowing criminals to go unpunished," Meuser said. "The failure to prosecute such an alarming number of arrests has emboldened criminals as they now believe their illegal, violent actions will go unpunished."

The legislation also aims to improve transparency by requiring prosecutors' offices in jurisdictions with populations larger than 380,000 to publish their prosecution rate data annually. This information is currently not widely available to the public, and Congressman Meuser believes that citizens have the right to know how many criminals are being released without facing charges.

Meuser emphasizes the importance of holding prosecutors accountable and ensuring that dangerous criminals are prosecuted. He criticizes what he refers to as a "soft-on-crime mentality" that has led to a surge in violence in major cities.

"My bill seeks to hold prosecutors accountable and helps ensure George Soros-backed ideologues are not releasing criminals back onto our streets without consequence," Meuser said. "Commonsense says that when you increase the prosecution rate of dangerous criminals, there will be fewer offenders in our communities to commit acts of violence."

The need for such legislation is underscored by the alarming increase in crime rates in Washington, D.C. In 2023, compared to 2022, homicides rose by 35%, armed robberies by 67%, motor vehicle thefts by 82%, carjackings by 103%, arson by 175%, and overall violent crime by 39%. Congressman Meuser himself has experienced the impact of this rise in crime, with three of his staff members being robbed at gunpoint and his car windows being smashed outside his residence in D.C.

The text of the Holding Prosecutors Accountable Act can be found on Congressman Meuser's website. The introduction of the legislation has also garnered attention from Fox News, who covered the story in an article.

Congressman Meuser's bill aims to address the issue of weak-on-crime prosecutors and ensure that they fulfill their duty to prosecute violent criminals. By holding prosecutors accountable, the legislation seeks to reduce crime rates and make communities safer.