Indiana Congressman introduces bill to ban protest 'thugs' from receiving unemployment aid
INDIANAPOLIS – U.S. Rep. Jim Banks, an Indiana Republican, introduced a two-page bill Friday that would ban people from receiving federal unemployment aid if they are convicted of a federal offense related to protests such as those rocking much of the country.
Those convicted of such a crime also would have to pay restitution for the cost of policing the protests, the amount of which would be determined by a court.
With Democrats in control of the House of Representatives, the bill likely has little chance of moving.
“Antifa thugs are descending on suffering communities," the Fort Wayne Republican said in a news release, "disrupting peaceful protests and leaving violence, looting and vandalism in their wake. They turned Milwaukee, Seattle and Portland into warzones, and now they’re moving the chaos to Kenosha, Wisconsin.”
A $600 federal boost to unemployment insurance expired in July. Some states, including Indiana, can give those who file for unemployment an additional $300 in federal money under a short-term grant the president authorized in an executive order.
Banks told Fox News he filed the bill after friends of his who walked out of the White House were confronted by protesters. No one was arrested in that incident.
In the interview and in his news release, Banks specifically targeted left-wing "thugs" involved in protests. He made no mention of right-wing activists who have been arrested at recent protests, such as Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old who has been charged with fatally shooting two protesters and wounding a third in Kenosha.
Follow IndyStar reporter Chris Sikich on Twitter: @ChrisSikich.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Rep. Jim Banks would ban 'thugs' from receiving unemployment stimulus
