LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- U.S. senators from Kentucky and Indiana are calling for an investigation into charitable bail organizations.
Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, and Mike Braun, R-Indiana, said Wednesday that they want a list of all federally funded nonprofits that bail people out of jail before their court hearings. They also want to know how much taxpayer money they receive and whether there are any existing restrictions on using federal dollars to get people charged with crimes out of jail.
The call for the investigation comes just two weeks after the Louisville Community Bail Fund posted bail for Quintez Brown, the man accused of shooting at Louisville mayoral candidate Craig Greenberg.
It also comes amid a push by Kentucky lawmakers to limit charitable bail organizations in the state, making a change to a bill that would make charitable bail illegal. Under the change to House Bill 313, charitable bail projects would no longer be required to report information on their donors, which was a requirement in the first draft of the bill.
The bill would ban charitable bail projects, like the Louisville Bail Project or Louisville Community Bail Fund, from helping a person with bail if it is posted at more than $5,000. It would also prohibit any charitable bail organization from posting bail for any offense of domestic violence or abuse.
McConnell and Braun, along with several other senators, wrote a letter to the U.S. Government Accountability Office asking for the investigation. It's now reviewing the request.
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