HR 1690 · 117th Congress 2021–2023, ended

Defending our Defenders Act

Introduced Mar 9, 2021 Originated House Sponsor Yvette Herrell R-NM

Latest action · May 18, 2021 Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

IntroducedMar 9, 2021
Passed HouseNot reached
Passed SenateNot reached
To the PresidentNot reached
Became lawNot reached

Summary

Defending Our Defenders Act

This bill establishes federal criminal offenses involving the murder of federal, state, or local law enforcement officers. Violators are subject to life in prison or death.

The bill sets forth aggravating factors (e.g., intent to ambush or prior history of promoting violence against a law enforcement officer) to be considered in determining whether to impose the death penalty.

Cosponsors 28

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Mar 9, 2021 to Feb 1, 2022; 23 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

Seat	Cosponsor		Signed on
R-NY	Andrew R. Garbarino	Original	Mar 9, 2021
R-MD	Andy Harris	Original	Mar 9, 2021
R-AL	Barry Moore	Original	Mar 9, 2021
R-TX	Brian Babin	Original	Mar 9, 2021
R-NY	Claudia Tenney	Original	Mar 9, 2021
R-LA	Clay Higgins	Original	Mar 9, 2021
R-NC	Dan Bishop	Original	Mar 9, 2021
R-WA	Dan Newhouse	Original	Mar 9, 2021
R-CA	David G. Valadao	Original	Mar 9, 2021
R-NE	Don Bacon	Original	Mar 9, 2021
R-NY	Elise M. Stefanik	Original	Mar 9, 2021
R-PA	Fred Keller	Original	Mar 9, 2021
R-AL	Jerry L. Carl	Original	Mar 9, 2021
R-FL	Kat Cammack	Original	Mar 9, 2021
R-CA	Ken Calvert	Original	Mar 9, 2021
R-TX	Lance Gooden	Original	Mar 9, 2021
R-NY	Lee M. Zeldin	Original	Mar 9, 2021
R-GA	Marjorie Taylor Greene	Original	Mar 9, 2021
R-MS	Michael Guest	Original	Mar 9, 2021
R-NY	Nicole Malliotakis	Original	Mar 9, 2021
R-AZ	Paul A. Gosar	Original	Mar 9, 2021
R-TX	Randy K. Weber, Sr.	Original	Mar 9, 2021
R-CA	Tom McClintock	Original	Mar 9, 2021
R-NY	Chris Jacobs		Apr 16, 2021
R-CA	Mike Garcia		May 4, 2021
R-IN	Larry Bucshon		May 13, 2021
R-TX	Ronny Jackson		May 13, 2021
R-PA	Brian K. Fitzpatrick		Feb 1, 2022

Committees 1

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

Chamber	Committee	What it did
House	Judiciary Committee	Referred Mar 9, 2021
	Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee	Referred May 18, 2021

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

May 18, 2021Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
Mar 9, 2021Introduced in House
Mar 9, 2021Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Research

What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.

Constitutional authority

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Clause l8 of section 8 of article I of the Constitution which states that Congress has the power ``to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into the Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.''

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 167, no. 44, March 9, 2021, page H1190.

Related bills 1

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

Bill	Title	Relationship	Latest action
S 619	Defending Our Defenders Act	Identical bill	Mar 9, 2021

Titles 2

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced: To amend title 18, United States Code, to make the murder of a Federal, State, or local law enforcement officer a crime punishable by life in prison or death.
Short Title(s) as Introduced: Defending our Defenders Act

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

Mar 9, 2021Introduced in House

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.