On the recordAugust 10, 2021
the Senator from Mississippi has stated her case explicitly: If a prosecutor fails to prosecute a case, the town or community that he represents as prosecutor--the town or community--will be denied Federal funds. Think about this. Under the Senator's amendment, if a district attorney decides not to charge a certain property offense, even in just one case, the whole town will lose its eligibility for Federal funding under programs like the Violence Against Women Act--we know what that is; it is certainly a refuge for many people who are victims of domestic violence--or the Bulletproof Vest Grant Act to protect law enforcement in that same community. They would lose their opportunity for Federal grants under the Senator's amendment that she is offering. I think we ought to think carefully about this. Prosecutors decide whether to proceed with a case or not proceed based on the amount of evidence, the likelihood of conviction, the possibility of securing a plea bargain for a lesser offense. To deny a community Federal funds-- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator's time has expired.
