Prosecutors Need to Prosecute Act

The Prosecutors Need to Prosecute Act would require state and local prosecutors in larger jurisdictions to submit detailed reports on how they handle serious criminal cases. Specifically, prosecutors in areas with 380,000 or more residents that receive federal Justice Assistance Grant funding would need to report data on cases involving murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, theft, arson, and firearm offenses.

The reports would track specific case outcomes, including how many cases were referred for prosecution versus declined, how many resulted in plea agreements, whether defendants had prior arrests or convictions, and information about bail or release decisions. This transparency measure aims to provide data on prosecutorial decision-making in serious crime cases, though the bill is still in early stages and has not yet advanced to committee review.