Logan's Law

Summary of H.R. 8611 – Logan's Law (118th Congress, 119th Session)

Note: This summary covers the bill as introduced: its purpose, key provisions, who is affected, and notable procedural/timeline aspects.

Purpose and Intent

• Logan's Law proposes creating a publicly accessible national database that lists individuals with qualifying violent convictions. The goal stated is to improve public safety by increasing information sharing about violent offenders and promoting accountability.

Title and Structure

• Title I: Violent Criminal Offender Database
  • Defines terms, establishes the database, and sets requirements for state participation.
• Title II: Federal Efforts to Increase Data Sharing Among States
  • Requires a federal report outlining current data-sharing practices and recommendations to improve sharing among states and with the federal government.

Key Provisions

Title I – Violent Criminal Offender Database

• Sec. 101. Definitions

  • Establishes terms used in the title, including:
  • “Byrne JAG grant program” (existing DOJ grant program under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act).
  • “Database” (the database created under Sec. 102(a)).
  • “Qualifying conviction”: a conviction that
    • is punishable by more than 180 days in prison (regardless of actual sentence),
    • involves use or threat of physical violence or presents a substantial risk of such violence,
    • excludes convictions that are expunged, vacated, set aside, pardoned, or otherwise legally inoperative.
  • Definition of State and Tribal Organization.

• Sec. 102. Database

  • Establishment: The Attorney General must establish a publicly accessible “Violent Criminal Offender Database” not later than 180 days after enactment.
  • Requirements:
  • Include both Federal and State records of qualifying convictions.
  • As practicable, utilize records collected by the FBI.
  • Publicly available at no charge.
  • Searchable fields include: name, address, date of birth, sex, race, nationality, citizenship status, type of conviction, probation status (and revocations/violations), jurisdiction, sentencing details (maximum fines and imprisonment, actual fines/imprisonment), whether the conviction was plea-based or trial-based, sentencing judge, prosecuting office, and any other relevant searchable categories necessary for public safety.
  • Updates: The database must be updated at least quarterly.
  • Removal: If a conviction is later deemed not to be a qualifying conviction (per Sec. 101(3)(B)), the Attorney General must remove that conviction from the database.

• Sec. 103. State Participation in Database

  • Data Submission: Within 180 days after enactment and ongoing thereafter, each State that receives Byrne JAG funds must submit data about qualifying convictions entered by state courts or political subdivisions to the Attorney General.
  • Byrne JAG Penalty for Noncompliance: The Attorney General may withhold Byrne JAG funding from noncompliant states and may redirect those funds to local units of government within the state, in addition to existing allocations to local governments.

Title II – Federal Efforts to Increase Data Sharing Among States

• Sec. 201. Report and Recommendations on Information Sharing
  • The Attorney General must deliver a report to House and Senate Judiciary Committees within 180 days of enactment.
  • Content of the report includes:
  • A description of current processes for sharing criminal records (state-to-state and state-to-federal).
  • Identification of procedural burdens that hinder sharing and potentially harm public safety.
  • Recommendations for the DOJ and Congress to ensure effective sharing among prosecutors and law enforcement at the state and federal levels to protect the public.
  • Any other matters related to improving records sharing and preventing lenient sentencing due to lack of shared information.

Who Is Affected

• Individuals with qualifying violent convictions (as defined) would appear in the nationwide public database.
• States that receive Byrne JAG grants (and potentially local governments within those states) would be required to submit conviction data and could face funding penalties for noncompliance.
• Federal and state law enforcement, prosecutors, and court systems would be involved in data sharing and integration efforts.
• The general public would have free online access to the database.

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

• Effective timeline:
  • Database establishment: within 180 days after enactment.
  • State data submission: within 180 days after enactment and ongoing.
  • Quarterly updates to the database.
  • Report with recommendations on information sharing: within 180 days after enactment.
• Funding/Compliance:
  • Byrne JAG grant eligibility is conditioned on compliance with data submission requirements; noncompliant states could lose Byrne JAG funds or see redirected funds to local units of government.

Potential Impacts and Considerations

• Public transparency: A publicly accessible database of violent offenders could enhance public awareness and safety but raises concerns about privacy, data accuracy, and potential misuse.
• Data quality and integration: The feasibility of consolidating federal and state records, ensuring accuracy, and timely updates is a central operational challenge.
• Civil liberties and due process: Considerations regarding expungement, pardons, and errors in the database would be important for safeguarding rights.
• Federal-state coordination: The bill emphasizes cross-jurisdictional data sharing and may drive policy alignment and infrastructure investments.

If you’d like, I can provide a side-by-side comparison with existing laws or draft a quick one-page briefing for stakeholders.