Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy introduced legislation Friday that would mandate the counting of the number of federal crimes on the books, as nobody knows the exact number of federal crimes that exist.
The Daily Caller first obtained the legislation, which is titled the “Count the Crimes to Cut Act of 2024.” The bill would require the Attorney General in cooperation with the agency heads to produce a full report of all federal criminal statutes and federal regulations with criminal penalties. The bill would also ensure each offense requires providing the following details: the elements of each offense; the potential penalties for each offense; the number of prosecutions brought in the last 15 years for each offense; and the intentionality standard needed to prove guilt for each offense.
“The growth of federal crimes continues unabated. The increase of 452 over the eight-year period between 2000 and 2007 averages 56.5 crimes per year-roughly the same rate at which Congress created new crimes in the 1980s and 1990s. So for the past twenty-five years, a period over which the growth of the federal criminal law has come under increasing scrutiny, Congress has been creating over 500 new crimes per decade. That pace is not steady from year to year, however; the data indicate that Congress creates more criminal offenses in election years,” according to a report from The Heritage Foundation. (RELATED: ‘We Have Enough Criminals’: NYC Lawmakers Unveil Bill To End City’s Sanctuary Status Amid Immigration Crisis)
The bill was co-sponsored by Democratic Maryland Rep. David Trone and Republican Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs.
“People cannot live free when government buries them under incomprehensible and never-ending criminal laws. Almost any adult in this country could be indicted for some kind of infraction at any given time, whether or not they were even aware they were in violation. This needs to change; getting a proper inventory is a necessary first step to fixing this problem,” Roy told the Caller before introducing the bill. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: ‘Imperative’ — Chip Roy Calls On GOP To Move Forward On Bill Cracking Down On Illegal Immigration)
READ THE LEGISLATION HERE:
(DAILY CALLER OBTAINED) — … by Henry Rodgers
The bill has been endorsed by Heritage Action, the Due Process Institute, Families Against Mandatory Minimums, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the National District Attorneys Association and the R Street Institute.
“For decades, Americans – disproportionately people of color – have suffered from overcriminalization, often of nonviolent but highly penalizing crimes. The Count The Crimes To Cut Act will take a closer look at these offenses and identify those that have no real bearing on the safety of our communities,” Trone said. “I’m proud to join this bipartisan effort to help ensure our criminal justice system is actual ‘just’ for all Americans.”