HB62, titled the “Withholding Investments from Lawless Litigators In States Act” or the “WILLIS Act,” would prohibit any federal funds from being awarded or otherwise made available to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office in Georgia. The bill also directs that any unobligated federal balances already allocated to that office be rescinded.
In addition to cutting off future funding, the bill would require the Attorney General to take steps, to the extent practicable, to recover federal money expended for the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office after January 1, 2021. The measure is narrowly targeted at one local prosecutorial office and does not create a broader funding rule for other district attorneys or state agencies.
Impact
If enacted, HB62 would immediately bar federal financial support to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office and would attempt to claw back certain federal expenditures dating to January 1, 2021. It would affect federal appropriations and grant flows tied to that office, while leaving state criminal law and the general structure of Georgia’s prosecutorial system unchanged. The bill would also create a federal enforcement and reimbursement effort centered on a single local office.
Sentiment
There is no recorded committee transcript or vote history in the provided material, so formal legislative sentiment cannot be measured from debate or roll call data. Based on the bill’s text and title, the measure appears strongly adversarial toward the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office and reflects a punitive posture rather than a bipartisan policy adjustment. The absence of recorded discussion suggests the bill was at an early stage and had not yet generated documented committee-level support or opposition in the available record.
Contention
The central point of contention is the bill’s targeted punishment of the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, including both a prospective funding ban and retroactive reimbursement demands. Supporters, as reflected by the sponsors, appear to view the office as having engaged in misconduct or “lawless” litigation, while opponents would likely argue that Congress should not single out a local prosecutor’s office for defunding or retroactive repayment. The bill’s attempt to rescind unobligated balances and recover past federal spending is likely to be especially controversial because of its retroactive financial consequences and its focus on a specific local law enforcement entity.
Safeguard Healthcare Industry Employees from Litigation and Distress Act or the SHIELD Act This bill establishes a framework to limit interference with persons seeking to provide or access reproductive health services at the state level. For the purposes of this summary, interference with persons seeking to provide or access reproductive health services includes acts to prevent, restrict, impede, or retaliate against a health care provider who provides reproductive health care services, any person or entity who helps health care providers to provide such services, any person who seeks to access such services, or any person or entity who helps another person to access such services. First, the bill reduces the allocation of funds under certain law enforcement grant programs for a state that has in effect a law authorizing state or local officers or employees to interfere with persons seeking to provide or access reproductive health services. Second, the bill prohibits interference with persons seeking to provide or access reproductive health care services by state or local officers or employees acting under color of law in any manner that would have a discriminatory effect on a woman, and by persons who are not state or local officers or employees and are attempting to implement or enforce a state law in circumstances affecting interstate commerce. The bill authorizes civil remedies for a violation, including damages and injunctive relief. Additionally, it authorizes criminal penalties for a violation involving the use of a deadly or dangerous weapon or the infliction of bodily injury.
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