July 21, 2025
Mr. Sheehy introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
To direct the Attorney General to identify and publish a list of anarchist jurisdictions, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Stop Anarchists From Endangering Cities Act
or the SAFE Cities Act
.
Sec. 2. Definition of Anarchist Jurisdiction
In this Act, the term anarchist jurisdiction means a State or unit of local government that has refused to take reasonable steps to stop acts of violence and destruction of property in the jurisdiction of that State or unit of local government.
Sec. 3. Identification of anarchist jurisdictions
(a) Publication
(1) Initial Publication
Not later than 14 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, shall publish on the website of the Department of Justice a list identifying each anarchist jurisdiction.
(2) Updates
The Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, shall update the list published under paragraph (1) not less frequently than once every 180 days after the date of initial publication.
(b) Considerations
In identifying whether a State or unit of local government is an anarchist jurisdiction, the Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, shall consider, as appropriate, whether a jurisdiction—
(1)
has a policy or practice that prevents or restricts a law enforcement agency from intervening to restore order amid widespread or sustained violence or destruction;
(2)
has prevented a law enforcement agency from policing a geographical area or structure that law enforcement officers are otherwise lawfully entitled to police, except in the case of a tactical decision to temporarily withhold law enforcement officers that is intended to resolve safely and expeditiously a specific and ongoing unlawful incident posing an imminent threat to the safety of individuals or law enforcement officers;
(3)
has disempowered or defunded a law enforcement agency; or
(4)
unreasonably refuses to accept offers of law enforcement assistance from the Federal Government.
(c) Guidance
Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall issue guidance to the head of each Federal agency on restricting eligibility of, or otherwise disfavoring, to the maximum extent permitted by law, anarchist jurisdictions in the receipt of Federal grants that the Federal agency has sufficient lawful discretion to restrict or otherwise disfavor anarchist jurisdictions from receiving.