As lawlessness plagues major cities across the United States, Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) introduced legislation last week that would increase the punishment for people convicted of looting and rioting.
Dubbed the “Support Peaceful Protest Act,” the bill would make individuals convicted of federal crimes during the course of a protest ineligible for enhanced federal unemployment benefits or any “supplemental unemployment compensation” available to Americans during the COVID-19 panic.
The bill would also “hold individuals convicted of federal offenses during the course of protests financially liable for the cost of federal policing.”
The bill states: In the case of an individual convicted of a Federal offense related to the individual’s conduct at and during the course of a protest with respect to which a Federal law enforcement officer was engaged in policing activity, the court shall, in addition to the penalty for such conviction, order the individual to pay an order of restitution to the appropriate Federal law enforcement agency in an amount that is equal to the cost of such policing activity, as determined by the court.
In a statement, Banks said rioters who are destroying cities — like Portland and Kenosha — need to feel the financial burden they are imposing on their communities. – READ MORE
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