To prohibit in the District of Columbia an individual charged with an offense from being released pending trial without executing an secured appearance bond.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
This bill would end cashless bail in Washington, D.C. by requiring everyone charged with a crime to post a cash bail bond before being released while awaiting trial. Currently, D.C. allows some defendants to be released on personal recognizance (a promise to return to court) without paying money. The bill would prevent the D.C. Council from passing any law allowing release without a secured bond, and it would amend the D.C. Home Rule Act to make this a permanent restriction on D.C. self-governance. The changes would apply to anyone charged with an offense in D.C., including those already in the system.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Prohibits the District of Columbia from allowing individuals charged with criminal offenses to be released pending trial without posting a secured appearance bond (bail bond with solvent sureties), effectively eliminating cashless bail in the District.
Key Policy Areas
Criminal Justice, Government Operations
Primary Purpose
Prohibits the District of Columbia from allowing individuals charged with criminal offenses to be released pending trial without posting a secured appearance bond (bail bond with solvent sureties), effectively eliminating cashless bail in the District.
Policy Domains
Whole Bill - Secured Bail Requirement for D.C.
Identified Gains
- Bail bond industry
- Victims and crime prevention advocates
Identified Costs
- Low-income defendants who cannot afford bail
- D.C. local government (loss of self-governance on bail policy)
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Biggs of Arizona (for himself, Mr. Higgins of Louisiana, …
Impact analysis is available but no clear stakeholder effects identified. View clause-level analysis →
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_mayor"
- → Mayor of the District of Columbia
- "the_council"
- → Council of the District of Columbia
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
As defined in section 23-1331(1), District of Columbia Official Code.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
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