Foxx Opening Remarks on H.R. 5625, H.R. 6260, H.R. 8365, H. Con. Res. 96, and H.R. 8469

As prepared for delivery:

Good afternoon, the Committee will come to order. Without objection, the Chair is authorized to declare a recess at any time.

Today, the Rules Committee is convening to consider five separate measures: H. Con. Res. 96, H.R. 5625, H.R. 6260, H.R. 8365, and H.R. 8469.

First, we will turn to H. Con. Res. 96, a concurrent resolution expressing support for law enforcement.

This week marks National Police week, a week dedicated to honoring law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty as well as to recognize those who continue to serve.

This resolution honors the hard work, personal sacrifice, and often-unacknowledged work carried out by law enforcement officers.

It recognizes the undeniable reduction in crime that comes when law enforcement departments are respected and fully funded.

Today, and every day, we should honor the brave men and women who work around the clock to keep our communities safe.

H.R. 5625, the Cashless Bail Reporting Act, would bring necessary and timely transparency for the American people by requiring publication of the jurisdictions that have cashless bail policies and laws, so Americans are aware of policies that affect their communities.

Americans have the right to know if they are living in or near a community that permits people accused of certain violent crimes to be released pending trial on personal recognizance or an unsecured appearance bond.

H.R. 6260, the Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets Act, reins in the Democrat soft-on-crime cashless bail policy by requiring bail bondsmen, including so-called "charitable bail funds," to adhere to common-sense accountability measures.

Charitable bail funds are organizations that use money from donations to help pay cash bail for defendants. Charitable bail funds regularly post bail for individuals charged with violent felonies and previous convictions.

This legislation amends the Federal criminal statute dealing with insurance-related crimes to include the posting of bail by a corporate entity, non-profit entity, or for-profit entity as being "engaged in the business of insurance."

Therefore, if a charitable bail fund is posting bail, it will be subject to the state licensing requirements and oversight by state insurance commissions to ensure accountability for charitable bail funds that break the law.

H.R. 8365, the Monitor Accountability Act, would set a series of defined terms and expectations for Federal court monitors.

Court monitors are independent oversight officials appointed through agreements between a government agency and a public or private entity, often in response to concerns involving civil rights violations, fraud allegations, misconduct, or regulatory violations.

Although court monitors are intended to operate independently from both the government and the monitored entity, this independence has raised concerns in practice, particularly regarding cost, duration, and accountability in long-running consent decree regimes.

In some cases, monitorships have remained in place for more than a decade, prompting debate over whether their role is to ensure compliance or to sustain managerial control of agency operations.

The reforms contained within this legislation set clear expectations for time-limited oversight, ensuring that Federal monitorships are not indefinite.

Finally, H.R. 8469, the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2027, provides a total discretionary allocation of $157 billion, which is nearly $4 billion above the FY26 enacted level.

In addition, the bill provides $323.9 billion for mandatory programs, for a total of $469.49 billion in overall funding.

This package allocates $90 million in additional funding for design of barracks and child development centers vital for the quality of life for servicemembers and their families to address barrack deficiencies identified by the Government Accountability Office.

Further, it provides $450.29 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is $83.6 billion above the FY26 enacted level to fully fund veterans' medical care and to fully fund veterans' benefits and toxic exposure-related needs.

We can and should pass this legislation on a bipartisan basis to support the nation's veterans and their families.

With that, I now yield to the Ranking Member, Mr. McGovern, for any comments he wishes to make.

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