Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Last progress June 4, 2025 (8 months ago)
Introduced on June 4, 2025 by Charles Ernest Grassley
Makes targeted changes across multiple federal criminal statutes to broaden liability, clarify mental-state requirements, and increase penalties. It amends the bank-robbery statute to cover conspiracies, clarifies that prosecutions for assaulting federal officers do not require proof the defendant knew the victim’s protected-status, raises maximum penalties and adds weapons-based enhancements for vehicle‑related violent crimes, narrows and strengthens a federal firearms provision to include attempts and conspiracies, creates a new enhanced offense and sentencing enhancement for Schedule I/II drugs disguised as candy or beverages intended for minors, and revises the federal kidnapping statute to restate and expand federal jurisdiction and penalties (including life or death if the victim dies).
Amend Section 2113 of title 18, United States Code, by modifying subsection (a) as follows: (A) by striking ; (B) by striking ; and (C) by inserting before the following: ;. (Text shown exactly as in the bill.)
Redesignate subsections (f), (g), and (h) of Section 2113 as subsections (g), (h), and (i), respectively.
Insert after subsection (e) a new subsection (f): 'Whoever conspires to commit any offense under this section shall be subject to the same penalties as those prescribed for the offense the commission of which was the object of the conspiracy.'
Officers and employees of the United States Government dutifully and faithfully serve the United States and often place themselves at serious risk of death or bodily harm to preserve, protect, and defend U.S. interests.
When Congress prohibited assaulting, resisting, or impeding Federal officers and employees, it intended to maximize protection for Federal officers and employees and ensure individuals who kill or assault them are prosecuted.
Primary impacts: law enforcement, prosecutors, federal courts, defendants, and the federal prison system. Law enforcement and federal prosecutors gain clearer statutory authority to charge conspiracies, attempts, and offenses tied to use or threat of force, and they can pursue higher sentences for vehicle-related violent crimes and for distribution of drugs disguised as candy/beverages to minors. The mens rea clarification for assaults on federal officers lowers a proof element (the Government need not show the defendant knew the victim was a federal official), which may increase convictions but could be challenged as broadening criminal liability. The new Controlled Substances provision targets traffickers who disguise drugs to appeal to children and requires the Sentencing Commission to increase guideline severity; manufacturers, distributors, and sellers could face heightened penalties and compliance scrutiny. Changes to kidnapping law expand and clarify federal jurisdiction and penalties, making certain abductions more likely to be prosecuted federally and increasing exposure to life or death sentences when victims die. Courts will see new legal questions (e.g., constitutional challenges to mens rea changes, disputes about the reach of the revised kidnapping provision, and sentencing application of the new enhancements). The federal prison population and Bureau of Prisons may face increased sentence lengths for covered offenses. State prosecutors and legislatures are not directly altered, but overlapping conduct could shift case filings from state to federal systems. Victims (including minors) may see stronger federal prosecutorial options and tougher penalties for offenders. Overall, the bill increases federal criminal exposure and sentencing severity across several violent‑ and drug‑related offenses, with attendant impacts on court workloads and corrections resources.