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H.R. 429: Grand Jury Reform Act of 2015

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H.R. 429: Grand Jury Reform Act of 2015

114th Congress · introduced 2015-01-21 · Crime and Law Enforcement · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2015-01-21 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank," Jr. [D-GA-4] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Grand Jury Reform Act of 2015

Plain summary

Grand Jury Reform Act of 2015 Conditions a state or local government's eligibility for funding under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program on the state's compliance with this Act. Requires: (1) the chief officer of the law enforcement agency of a locality in which a death results from the use of deadly force by a law enforcement officer of such agency to report the death to the elected prosecutor of that locality within 24 hours of such death, and (2) the elected prosecutor to report the death to the governor of the state within 24 hours after receiving such notice. Directs the governor: (1) within three days after receiving such report, to appoint a special prosecutor to present evidence on the state's behalf at a hearing before a judge to determine whether probable cause exists to bring criminal charges against the law enforcement officer; (2) to use a random process to select the special prosecutor from among all of the elected prosecutors in the state, excluding the elected prosecutor of the locality in which the death occurred; and (3) within 24 hours after being notified of such death, to report the death to the chief officer of the state's law enforcement agency, which shall assume exclusive control of the investigation of the death during the pendency of the probable cause hearing. Requires: (1) the hearing to be held within 90 days after the appointment of the special prosecutor, unless the judge determines that good cause exists to delay it; (2) the court to remain open to the public for such hearing, except as determined appropriate by the presiding judge; (3) the presiding judge, within five days of the hearing's conclusion, to issue a determination regarding probable cause and to submit such determination to the elected prosecutor of the locality in which the death occurred; and (4) the special prosecutor to submit recommendations to the elected prosecutor, including regarding whether criminal charges should be brought against the officer. Declares that the probable cause hearing shall have no binding effect on the elected prosecutor.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Grand Jury Reform Act of 2015

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank," Jr. [D-GA-4] · 32 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Judy Chu (D-CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Frederica S. Wilson (D-FL), Danny K. Davis (D-IL), Donald S. Beyer, Jr. (D-VA), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Hakeem S. Jeffries (D-NY), Maxine Waters (D-CA), Marc A. Veasey (D-TX), Mark Takano (D-CA), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Gwen Moore (D-WI), André Carson (D-IN)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank," Jr. [D-GA-4] reported raising $514,399 (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)
Appropriation
Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong114-hr429 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong114 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong114