Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Citizens’ Right to Know Act of 2016”.
Citizens’ Right to Know Act of 2016
A BILL
To require States and units of local government receiving funds under grant programs operated by the Department of Justice, which use such funds for pretrial services programs, to submit to the Attorney General a report relating to such program, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Reporting requirement for Department of Justice grant recipients using funds for pretrial services programs
In general— For each fiscal year in which a State or unit of local government receives funds under any grant program operated by the Department of Justice, including the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance grant program under subpart I of part E of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3750 et seq.), and which uses funds received under such program for a pretrial services program, the State or unit of local government shall submit to the Attorney General a report which contains the following:
The name of each defendant participating in a pretrial release program administered by the pretrial services program, and whether, as applicable, each such defendant appeared for trial and any post-release required court appearance.
Information relating to the previous arrest record of each defendant participating in the pretrial services program.
Publication requirement— Subject to any applicable confidentiality requirements, the Attorney General shall, on an annual basis, make publicly available the information received under subsection (a).
Reduction in funding— The Attorney General shall, for State or unit of local government which fails to comply with the requirement under subsection (a) for a fiscal year, reduce the amount that the State or local government would otherwise receive under each grant program described in subsection (a) in the following fiscal year—
in the case that the failure to comply with such requirement was the first such failure, by 25 percent; or
in the case that the failure to comply with such requirement was the second or subsequent such failure, by 50 percent.
Reallocation— Amounts not allocated to a State or unit of local government under subsection (c) shall be reallocated under each such grant program to States and units of local government that comply with the requirement under subsection (a).