Back the Blue Act of 2023
Latest action · May 11, 2023 Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
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.
- IntroducedMay 11, 2023
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Back the Blue Act of 2023
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; and
- limits federal court review of challenges to state court convictions for killing a public safety officer or judge.
Cosponsors 41
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 11, 2023 to Sep 5, 2023; 38 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-LA | Bill Cassidy | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-TN | Bill Hagerty | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-IA | Chuck Grassley | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-MS | Cindy Hyde-Smith | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-WY | Cynthia M. Lummis | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-NE | Deb Fischer | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-MO | Eric Schmitt | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-ID | James E. Risch | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-OK | James Lankford | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-KS | Jerry Moran | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-WY | John Barrasso | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-AR | John Boozman | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-ND | John Hoeven | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-LA | John Kennedy | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-SD | John Thune | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-IA | Joni Ernst | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-MO | Josh Hawley | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-AL | Katie Boyd Britt | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-ND | Kevin Cramer | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-SC | Lindsey Graham | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-FL | Marco Rubio | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-TN | Marsha Blackburn | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-IN | Mike Braun | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-ID | Mike Crapo | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-KY | Mitch McConnell | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-NE | Pete Ricketts | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-FL | Rick Scott | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-MS | Roger F. Wicker | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-KS | Roger Marshall | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-WV | Shelley Moore Capito | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-MT | Steve Daines | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-NC | Ted Budd | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-TX | Ted Cruz | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-NC | Thom Tillis | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-SC | Tim Scott | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-IN | Todd Young | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-AR | Tom Cotton | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-AL | Tommy Tuberville | Original | May 11, 2023 |
| R-UT | Mike Lee | May 15, 2023 | |
| R-OK | Markwayne Mullin | May 30, 2023 | |
| R-OH | J. D. Vance | Sep 5, 2023 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Judiciary Committee | Referred May 11, 2023 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 11, 2023Introduced in Senate
- May 11, 2023Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
In the Congressional Record 3
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Debate and remarks S3700 | John Cornyn R-TX | May 15, 2024 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S1731 | Deb Fischer R-NE | May 18, 2023 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S1638 | John Cornyn R-TX | May 15, 2023 |
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 355 | Back the Blue Act of 2023 | Related bill | Jan 13, 2023 |
| HR 3079 | Back the Blue Act of 2023 | Related bill | May 5, 2023 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to protect law enforcement officers, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Back the Blue Act of 2023
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 11, 2023Introduced in Senate
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.
