📊 Status in the Lawmaking Process:

Introduced — November 21, 2025 ✔️
Passed House — May 14, 2026 ✔️
Passed Senate — ❌ Not yet passed
To President — ❌ Not sent
Became Law — ❌ Not law
📍 Current Status: Passed House; awaiting consideration in the Senate.

Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets Act of 2025

This bill would make fraud tied to posting bail more clearly covered by federal insurance-fraud law. It would add monetary bail, criminal bail bonds, and federal immigration bail bonds to the part of federal law that defines the “business of insurance,” giving prosecutors and regulators clearer language when bail money is handled through covered entities.

Why this matters

Bail is money posted so a person can be released from custody while waiting for court. Commercial bail bond companies already operate in a heavily regulated space, but charitable bail funds use donated money to post bail for people who cannot afford it themselves.

The House Judiciary Committee report says the bill is aimed at bringing charitable bail funds and similar bail-posting entities under federal insurance-fraud rules when they post bail for someone else. That matters because the existing statute covers false financial statements, embezzlement, misuse of funds, and certain insurance-related misconduct.

Who this affects

The broad group affected is anyone involved in posting bail through an organization, especially charitable bail funds, bail bond companies, nonprofit entities, for-profit entities, and groups that post federal immigration bonds.

The most direct effect would fall on organizations handling bail money, their officers or agents, state insurance regulators, and federal prosecutors. People who rely on donated bail assistance could be indirectly affected if organizations change how they operate in response to the added legal exposure.

What happens if it becomes law

Federal law would explicitly list monetary bail, criminal bail bonds, and federal immigration bail bonds as covered examples within the “business of insurance.” That would not set bail amounts, decide who gets released before trial, or ban charitable bail funds outright.

The practical effect is narrower: fraud, false records, embezzlement, or misuse of money connected to covered bail-posting activity could fall more clearly under existing federal insurance-crime provisions. The committee report also says the change would expose covered bail-posting entities to state insurance licensing and regulation.

What is the argument

Rep. Scott Fitzgerald and the committee majority frame the bill as an accountability measure for bail-posting organizations, especially charitable bail funds that receive donations and post bail for defendants. The committee report points to examples involving charitable bail funds, repeat offenders, and state efforts to regulate those funds as the reason for adding bail activity to the federal insurance-fraud statute.

House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin’s dissent argues the bill would discourage nonprofit bail funds, churches, faith groups, and community organizations from helping people who cannot afford bail. His dissent says the proposal stretches insurance law into an area already covered by other criminal laws and could make it harder for low-income defendants to get pretrial release assistance.

The main takeaway: this is a narrow criminal-law and regulatory bill, not a broad rewrite of bail policy. It would not directly change a judge’s bail decision, but it could change the legal risks for organizations that post bail on someone else’s behalf.

Where does it stand now

Rep. Scott Fitzgerald introduced the House bill on November 21, 2025, and the House Judiciary Committee reported it with an amendment on April 9, 2026.

The House passed it on May 14, 2026, by a recorded vote of 243–179. It has not passed the Senate or gone to the President.

📄 Full bill text (PDF): https://www.congress.gov/119/bills/hr6260/BILLS-119hr6260rfs.pdf

📊 For more legislative content and breakdowns, visit our socials: https://linktr.ee/thebillbreakdown