Rep. Lucy McBath on HR 2159: Counting Federal Crimes for Criminal Justice Reform

The Problem of Overcriminalization

• ⚖️ Representative Lucy McBath highlights the issue of overcriminalization due to outdated and excessively numerous laws within the federal criminal code.
• ❓ It's stated that the exact number of federal criminal laws is unknown, leading to a lack of understanding of the scope of offenses.
• 📈 Over the past few decades, federal criminal offenses have dramatically increased, with estimates suggesting over 5,000, not including those from federal regulations.

The Count the Crimes to Cut Act (HR 2159)

• 💡 The Count the Crimes to Cut Act of 2025 (HR 2159) is proposed as a bipartisan solution to address overcriminalization.
• 📝 This bill would mandate the creation of a comprehensive inventory of all federal criminal statutory and regulatory offenses.
• 🎯 The goal is to understand the existing body of law, identify redundancies, and determine where reforms are needed.

Impact of Unchecked Legal Growth

• ⚠️ Many existing federal laws are estimated to be redundant, overly broad, better suited for state jurisdiction, or so obscure that the public cannot reasonably know they exist.
• 📚 Some laws are so vague that even a reasonable person would struggle to understand what conduct is prohibited.
• 😟 This unorganized body of law puts law-abiding citizens at risk of unknowingly violating federal crimes.

Data-Driven Criminal Justice Reform

• 📊 HR 2159 is presented as a necessary first step toward data-driven reform of the criminal justice system.
• 🔍 By establishing a complete inventory, the bill aims to enable effective evaluation of law enforcement, understand intent requirements, and identify necessary reforms to mens rea standards.
• ✅ The ultimate aim is to identify and reform or eliminate laws that serve no public safety purpose.