Sponsors
The bill raises penalties for providing material support to terrorists to enhance public safety and provide victims greater sense of justice, while trading off judicial discretion and raising the risk of disproportionate sentences for some defendants and higher costs for taxpayers.
Communities and the general public face reduced risk of terrorism because convictions for providing material support now carry much longer mandatory prison terms (20 years to life).
Terrorism victims gain a stronger sense of justice because individuals who materially support terrorist activity receive substantially longer sentences.
People convicted of providing material support lose judicial discretion that would allow shorter or tailored sentences, increasing the risk of disproportionately harsh penalties for low-level or coerced participants.
Taxpayers face higher costs because substantially longer mandatory sentences will increase incarceration expenses and long-term prison populations.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Imposes mandatory minimum prison terms of at least 20 years (up to life) for convictions of providing material support to terrorists or to designated terrorist organizations.
Introduced March 24, 2026 by Sheri Biggs · Last progress March 24, 2026
Amends the federal criminal statutes for providing material support to terrorists and to designated foreign terrorist organizations to impose mandatory minimum prison terms of not less than 20 years, up to life, for persons convicted under those provisions. The bill replaces prior phrasing tied to maximum terms with fixed minimum sentences for convictions under the specified statutes. The change applies to convictions under the amended statutes only; it does not create new agencies, funding, or reporting requirements and does not specify retroactivity or other implementation details.