Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets Act of 2025
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The bill would expand the federal definition of "business of insurance" to explicitly include posting monetary bail, criminal bail bonds, and federal immigration bail bonds, bringing bail funds and bond providers under federal insurance-fraud law.
That change would subject charitable bail funds and other bail-posting entities to the same federal fraud provisions and state insurance licensing and regulation that apply to insurers, a significant shift for organizations that currently operate outside that framework.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would amend a single provision of federal criminal law, 18 U.S.C. § 1033(f)(1)(A), which defines "the business of insurance" for purposes of federal insurance-fraud offenses. It would insert language specifying that the posting of monetary bail, criminal bail bonds, and federal immigration bail bonds counts as insurance business under that statute.
Because the definition change is narrow in text but broad in effect, it would pull entities that post cash bail or bail bonds for defendants — including charitable bail funds — into the scope of federal insurance-fraud crimes and, according to the CRS summary, into state insurance licensing requirements and regulation by state insurance commissioners. The bill does not create a new standalone crime; it works by amending an existing definition.
Key provisions
- 1Would amend the definition of "business of insurance" in federal insurance-fraud law to include posting monetary bail, criminal bail bonds, and federal immigration bail bonds
Who would be affected
Charitable bail funds, commercial bail bond companies, and any other organizations that post monetary bail or immigration bail bonds on behalf of defendants would be affected, since they would now be treated as engaged in the business of insurance and subject to related federal fraud law and state regulation.
Why it matters
Bail funds and bond providers could face new federal criminal exposure for fraud-related conduct and new state licensing and regulatory obligations they did not previously face. This could affect how charitable and nonprofit bail funds operate, given that they would now be treated like insurance businesses under federal law.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends 18 U.S.C. § 1033(f)(1)(A) (Sec. 2)
Inserts language including monetary bail, criminal bail bonds, and federal immigration bail bonds within the definition of "business of insurance"
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Official CRS summary
Show the CRS summaryHide the CRS summary
This bill broadens the definition of the term business of insurance, for the purposes of federal crimes related to insurance fraud, to include the posting of monetary bail, criminal bail bonds, and federal immigration bail bonds.
Under the bill, entities and organizations that pay cash bond or bail for defendants (e.g., charitable bail funds) are engaged in the business of insurance under federal law and subject to federal criminal provisions related to insurance fraud, as well as state licensing requirements and regulation by state insurance commissions.
Legislative subjects
Crime and Law Enforcement; Criminal procedure and sentencing; Fraud offenses and financial crimes
Committee report
H. Rept. 119-601