To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide protections for nonviolent political protesters, and for other purposes.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · March 5, 2024
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Intelligence (Permanent Select), for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
The Matthew Lawrence Perna Act of 2024 would provide legal protections for people charged with nonviolent political protest offenses. The bill prohibits federal courts from detaining defendants awaiting trial if they are charged only with nonviolent protest-related crimes, allows people to sue the government for compensation if they are detained but not convicted, and requires speedy trials for such cases. The legislation also expands protections against what it defines as malicious prosecution and overprosecution, restricts the government's use of national security authorities against U.S. citizens engaged in protest activities, and requires federal agencies to disclose whether they are investigating or surveilling American citizens who request that information. Additionally, the bill encourages judges to impose minimum sentences for nonviolent political protest convictions and allows defendants accused of federal crimes in Washington D.C. to move their trial to their home district instead.
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