This bill, the Back the Blue Act of 2025, adds new federal crimes and penalties aimed at protecting judges, federal officers, and state or local officers who receive federal funding. It creates a new federal murder offense for killing (or attempting or conspiring to kill) Federal judges, Federal law enforcement officers, or federally funded public safety officers while on duty or because of their duties. Penalties range from 10 years to life, and death is a possible punishment when death results.
The bill creates a new federal assault offense for assaults on federally funded State or local law enforcement officers while on duty or because of their duties. Penalties vary by injury level, from up to 1 year in some cases to minimums of 2, 5, 10, or 20 years when bodily injury, substantial bodily injury, serious bodily injury, or a weapon is involved, respectively. Federal prosecutions under that assault provision generally require written certification by the Attorney General under certain conditions. Most non-death assault offenses have a 7-year statute of limitations; offenses resulting in death have no time limit.
It makes it a federal crime to travel across state or national borders to avoid prosecution for killing or attempting to kill certain covered officials; that offense carries a minimum 10-year sentence.
The bill adds killing a law enforcement officer, prosecutor, judge, or first responder as a specific aggravating factor for seeking the federal death penalty.
The bill narrows some federal habeas corpus review for people in state custody convicted of killing a public safety officer or judge, subjects such habeas applications to specific time limits and requirements, and bars federal courts from reconsidering state-adjudicated sentencing claims in those cases. The bill sets rules about how those limits apply to pending cases.
The bill expands and clarifies authority for sworn Federal, State, and local officers to carry firearms in certain Federal facilities and modifies related statutes to allow qualified officers (and qualified retired officers) broader firearm possession in some federal locations, including an amendment affecting the school zone exemption. The Attorney General must issue regulations within 60 days implementing part of these firearm rules.
Finally, the bill authorizes the Attorney General, for each fiscal year 2026 through 2030, to award grants not to exceed $20,000,000 per year (from specified unobligated or Byrne program amounts) to state, local, tribal law enforcement agencies and appropriate nongovernmental organizations to promote trust, transparency, training, community partnerships, and officer wellness.
No publicly available information.
No publicly available information.