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‘Molesters’ and ‘rapists’ would go free under California bill, state Senate GOP warns

‘Molesters’ and ‘rapists’ would go free under California bill, state Senate GOP warns

FIRST ON FOX — A Democrat-led bill meant to protect prisoners from sexual violence while incarcerated in California state facilities by addressing issues related to sexual abuse could wind up reducing violent criminals’ sentences altogether, state Republicans warn.  SB 898, authored by Berkeley Democrat state Sen. Nancy Skinner, aims to enhance protections for individuals incarcerated in California state facilities by addressing issues related to sexual abuse and expanding opportunities for legal relief. But Republicans say that a little-known provision in the bill would enable inmates serving sentences of 15 years or more to seek resentencing or release if there have been changes to sentencing guidelines since their conviction. “And you know, they’re touting that crime is going down, but it’s because the Democrats have decriminalized crime in California,” state Sen. Brian Dahle told Fox News Digital in an interview. “And so victims of homicide, heinous sexual crimes, rape, murder, molestation of children all can come up in every three years, can go have a potential hearing to get out, whether or not they’ve been rehabilitated or not.” EX-CALIFORNIA RESIDENT SLAMS STATE BILL THAT GIVES ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS HOUSING LOANS: ‘ASININE’ Dahle said this will create a cycle of frequent hearings and petitions, which means victims will have to repeatedly attend these hearings every three years and relive the trauma inflicted upon them by the perpetrator. Skinner dismisses the Republican criticisms, calling them “false accusations” about SB 898 that are “just the latest example of MAGA distortions and lies.” “SB 898 is focused first and foremost on providing protections for incarcerated people who have proven to have been raped or sexually assaulted by prison guards or staff,” she told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Its additional provision merely adds defense attorneys to the existing list of those who are eligible to request a court hearing if California changes a sentencing law. SB 898 does not release anyone from prison, period.” The California District Attorneys Association decried the bill, saying they “strenuously object to creating a revolving door of hearings for [murderers], rapists, and child molesters.” The provision allows defense attorneys to request hearings if California ever revises prison sentences for certain crimes, but it does not automatically release anyone from prison. The hearings are not guaranteed and can be denied by judges, with no assurance that a change in sentencing guidelines would result in immediate release. CALIFORNIA CLOSE TO APPROVING $150K LOANS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO HELP PURCHASE HOMES Meanwhile, Skinner’s bill focuses on several proposals regarding how sexual abuse and sentencing issues are handled within the California prison system. It mandates that the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation monitor incarcerated individuals who report sexual abuse for 90 days to prevent retaliation.  “If somebody’s being raped in prison, then obviously we need to isolate those incidences and do something to correct that,” Dahle said in response. “That’s been an ongoing thing since people have been put in prison. Yes, there are some bad actors, but for the most part, we’re doing as good as we can in the situations we have, but they’ve made prisons a place where it’s hard to isolate somebody.” 5 CALIFORNIA TAXES KAMALA HARRIS COULD USE TO CRUSH THE MIDDLE CLASS According to the Senate Republicans’ analysis of the bill, the bill “is mislabeled by Legislative Counsel as a bill primarily dealing with ‘sexual assault resentencing.’” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “That title remains from the prior version and while [it] has some remaining provisions on that topic, the most important changes the bill makes to sentencing law have nothing to do with sexual assault, other than to potentially let individuals who have committed sex crimes out of prison earlier,” the analysis reads.

GOP senators look to tie crackdown on noncitizen voting to must-pass spending bill

GOP senators look to tie crackdown on noncitizen voting to must-pass spending bill

Several Republican lawmakers have called on their colleagues to support attaching a bill that would safeguard elections and require proof of citizenship to vote on an upcoming stopgap spending measure due at the end of next month.  Prominent conservative Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Mike Lee, R-Utah, posted on X this week pushing for the bill, which would require proof of citizenship before registering to vote in federal elections, to be tethered to a spending bill extension to avoid a government shutdown at the end of the fiscal year.  “There isn’t a good argument against attaching the SAVE Act to the September spending bill,” Lee said in one of several posts promoting the idea.  HARRIS WAS ‘OPEN’ TO PACKING SUPREME COURT DURING 2019 PRESIDENTIAL BID Other Republican senators, including Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., and Rick Scott, R-Fla., also shared their support for the legislation, known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, in posts on X. However, they didn’t go as far as calling for the bill to be taken up as part of a continuing resolution to extend the current spending bill.  “Texas just announced that it has removed 6,500+ non-citizens from its voter rolls, almost 2,000 of which illegally voted in past elections. We cannot ignore this threat to our democratic process. It’s time to pass my SAVE Act & stop illegal voting,” Scott said.  HARRIS CAMPAIGN MANAGER IGNORES PRESS CONFERENCE QUESTION AS VP HITS 33 DAYS WITHOUT ONE The SAVE Act was initially passed in the House of Representatives by a vote of 221-198, primarily along party lines. Five Democrats split with their party to support it, including Reps. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, Jared Golden, D-Maine, Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash. Earlier this month, the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus expressed its desire to see the measure included in the stopgap government spending package next month. Without the SAVE Act’s inclusion in a continuing resolution (CR), appropriators risk losing the support of Freedom Caucus members and enduring a potential government shutdown. “@HouseGOP must force the question by attaching the SAVE Act to a 6-month funding bill before the Sept. 30 funding deadline,” wrote House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, on X on Thursday. He also hit the Senate, led by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for refusing to take up the bill for a vote on its own.  BIDEN-HARRIS HHS SECRETARY SIDESTEPS BACKING ANY LIMIT ON LATE-TERM ABORTION While vocal conservative lawmakers see the necessary spending measure as an opportunity to force a vote on the Republican priority, which is backed by former President Trump, a top Republican appropriator has cast doubt on its inclusion.  “If it can’t pass the Senate, it isn’t going to be an effective CR,” House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole, R-Okla., told reporters last month. The idea of tying the SAVE Act to a spending bill also lacks the backing of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. A Senate GOP aide told Fox News Digital that keeping the government open and avoiding a shutdown is paramount to the Kentucky Republican. Notably, the Biden-Harris administration has come out in strong opposition to the SAVE Act, making clear it wouldn’t be signed by the president if passed. “It is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in Federal elections – it is a Federal crime punishable by prison and fines,” reads a statement of administration policy last month. The Trump campaign did not provide comment on whether the bill should be included in a spending measure but did reinforce support for the quick passage of the SAVE Act. His campaign pointed Fox News Digital to the former president’s Truth Social post last month in which he said, “Republicans must pass the Save Act, or go home and cry yourself to sleep.”