Bacon, Panetta Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Recruit New Prosecutors

Rural communities have struggled for many years to recruit and retain prosecutors. The result is an ever-increasing burden on those attorneys who do work in rural areas. Locally, for example, Jefferson County Attorney Joseph Casson also serves as County Attorney for Thayer County because no candidates filed for the position. With that in mind, Representatives Don Bacon (NE-02) and Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), have reintroduced the bipartisan, bicameral, Helping Improve Recruitment and Retention Efforts for Prosecutors Act (HIRRE Prosecutors Act) of 2025. The legislation is intended to allow local governments to better support, hire, train, and retain local prosecutors critical to protecting local public safety. The HIRRE Prosecutors Act would create a competitive federal grant program to better assist district attorneys in prosecuting cases and protecting the rule of law, with the staff and resources they need to get the job done. Representative Joe Neguse (CO-02) is also co-leading this effort.According to a statement from Representative Bacon’s office, since the COVID-19 pandemic, many local prosecutors’ offices have seen increased turnover. Some states have seen turnover rates as high as 43.5 percent in a single year, struggling to both retain and fill the staff critical to upholding the law. Unlike police departments, local prosecutors receive little to no federal assistance. The HIRRE Prosecutors Act would address that gap through a new program modeled on the successful, decades-old COPS Hiring Program, which would invest $10 million annually in the hiring, training, and retention of prosecutors and staff. “Our local officials lack essential resources to effectively prosecute offenders. This legislation would provide support through the Department of Justice, helping to stabilize police departments and strengthen local attorney offices responsible for prosecuting cases,” said Representative Bacon. “For those facing staffing and resource shortages in Nebraska, the added support from this bill would help ensure that cases are handled efficiently and fairly. Specifically, the HIRRE Prosecutors Act would establish a program offering competitive grants to district attorneys’ offices, with the goal of reinforcing public trust in the legal process.” “For far too long, our local district attorneys’ offices haven’t had the resources they need to compete with private, better-paying law firms for top talent,” said Representative Panetta. “The HIRRE Prosecutors Act would create a first-of-its-kind federal grant program to invest in the legal talent needed to work as prosecutors and hold people accountable. With these types of grants, the federal government can play its part to help our local prosecutors’ offices properly seek truth and justice and help enhance public safety.”“I’m proud to join Rep. Panetta in support of this historic program that provides support for our state, territorial, local, and tribal prosecutors, who work each and every day to protect the public,” said Representative Neguse. “This bill, the HIRRE Prosecutors Act, will ensure that communities across the nation, especially folks in our rural and mountain communities, can recruit and retain qualified attorneys.”“Since the pandemic, district attorney offices have faced significant recruitment and retention challenges, which has been exacerbated by a lack of federal support needed to address workforce shortages” said Brian R. Marvel, President of the Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC). “The HIRRE Prosecutors Act is a critical step to remedy this – establishing a grant program that mirrors the support currently given to local law enforcement through the COPS Hiring Program to ensure that district attorneys’ offices have the resources they need to prosecute cases and uphold the rule of law in our communities. Thank you, Congressman Panetta, for your leadership and commitment to supporting local district attorneys across the country.”

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