SE Valley Times

Representative Andy Biggs, currently serving Arizona's 5th district in the U.S. Congress, has taken to social media to express his concerns about federal overcriminalization. On November 27, 2024, he shared a series of tweets highlighting this issue and introduced legislative measures aimed at addressing it.

In his first tweet, "According to former Harvard professor Harvey Silverglate, it’s estimated that the average American commits three felonies a day without even realizing," Biggs notes. He further states his intention by introducing two bills to tackle what he perceives as overcriminalization by the federal government.

Another tweet posted on the same day reads: "The End Endless Criminal Statutes Act repeals ten federal provisions carrying unnecessary criminal penalties, like selling colored margarine in shapes other than triangles or discarding produce without sufficient cause." This legislation aims to eliminate outdated and seemingly trivial laws.

In a subsequent message, Biggs emphasizes the scope of this problem by stating: "Such frivolous 'crimes' make it clear that the federal government’s overcriminalization threatens our individual liberties and the fair administration of justice." He contrasts an estimated 4,000 federal criminal offenses with approximately 300,000 federal regulatory offenses to underline his point.