House Republicans Pass Bill to Rein in Wasteful Court Monitors

WASHINGTON- House Republicans passed H.R. 8365, the Monitor Accountability Act, introduced by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), to bring transparency and accountability to court-appointed monitors overseeing state and local governments.

House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) and Rep. Andy Biggs released the following statements after the bill passed the House:

"Taxpayers should not be stuck funding endless six-figure consulting gigs with no real accountability," Chairwoman McClain said. "Some court monitors have turned temporary supervision roles into a permanent payday while Americans foot the bill. House Republicans are putting limits on these runaway costs and making sure taxpayers are not forced to bankroll years of waste and borderline fraud disguised as oversight."

"For over a decade, a court-appointed federal monitor for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office has cost $350 million in taxpayer dollars and undermined the work of brave men and women in law enforcement, compromising the safety of innocent Arizonans," Rep. Biggs said. "This is just one horror story of these monitors operating without oversight across the country and creating chaos in their wake. The destructive effects of these monitors on government budgets and public safety necessitate congressional action, which is why I've introduced the Monitor Accountability Act. I'm thankful for its passage in the House, and I urge the Senate to quickly take up this legislation and send it to the President's desk."

H.R. 8365 creates rules for court-appointed monitors overseeing state and local governments by capping fees, limiting monitor terms, and requiring public reporting on monitor activities. The bill also requires public input before a monitor is selected and adds safeguards to prevent long-running monitorships from draining taxpayer resources.