S. 1480 · 116th Congress
Back the Blue Act of 2019
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Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 116th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.
R
CornynSponsor17 cosponsors · 17 R
R
Blunt
JB
R
Boozman
MB
R
Blackburn
JB
R
Barrasso
SC
R
Capito
BC
R
Cassidy
TC
R
Cruz
SD
R
Daines
DF
R
Fischer
CH
R
Hyde-Smith
RP
R
Portman
DP
R
Perdue
MR
R
Rubio
TT
R
Tillis
JI
R
Isakson
PR
R
Roberts
JL
R
Lankford14 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
This bill establishes new criminal offenses for killing, assaulting, and fleeing to avoid prosecution for killing a judge, law enforcement officer, or public safety officer.
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in Senate · May 15, 2019
Back the Blue Act of 2019
This bill establishes new criminal offenses for killing, assaulting, and fleeing to avoid prosecution for killing a judge, law enforcement officer, or public safety officer.
Additionally, the bill
- expands the list of statutory aggravating factors in death penalty determinations to also include the killing or attempted killing of a law enforcement officer, judge, prosecutor, or firefighter or other first responder;
- broadens the authority of federal law enforcement officers to carry firearms;
- limits federal court review of challenges to state court convictions for killing a public safety officer or judge; and
- limits the recovery of compensatory damages and prohibits the recovery of attorney's fees by an individual for a violation of rights that occurred as a result of (or in the course of) conduct that constitutes a felony or crime of violence.
Finally, it directs the Department of Justice to make grants to law enforcement agencies and nongovernmental organizations to promote trust and improve relations between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: Back the Blue Act of 2019
Latest action (May 15, 2019): Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S2888-2889)
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement · Origin: Senate · Introduced: May 15, 2019
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.