HR 4197 · 119th Congress 2025–2027

LGBTQ+ Panic Defense Prohibition Act of 2025

Introduced Jun 26, 2025 Originated House Sponsor Chris Pappas D-NH

Fact sheet Spreadsheet

Latest action · Jun 26, 2025 Referred to the House 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.

  1. IntroducedJun 26, 2025
  2. Passed HouseNot reached
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

LGBTQ+ Panic Defense Prohibition Act of 2025

This bill generally prohibits a federal criminal defendant from asserting, as a defense, that the nonviolent sexual advance of an individual or a perception or belief of the gender, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation of an individual excuses or justifies conduct or mitigates the severity of an offense.

Cosponsors 62

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jun 26, 2025 to Oct 1, 2026; 32 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
D-TXAl GreenOriginalJun 26, 2025
D-CABrad ShermanOriginalJun 26, 2025
D-PAChristopher R. DeluzioOriginalJun 26, 2025
D-ILDanny K. DavisOriginalJun 26, 2025
D-OHEmilia Strong SykesOriginalJun 26, 2025
D-NJFrank Pallone, Jr.OriginalJun 26, 2025
D-GAHenry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr.OriginalJun 26, 2025
D-CAJ. Luis CorreaOriginalJun 26, 2025
D-CTJahana HayesOriginalJun 26, 2025
D-ILJanice D. SchakowskyOriginalJun 26, 2025
D-CAJared HuffmanOriginalJun 26, 2025
D-TXJasmine CrockettOriginalJun 26, 2025
D-VAJennifer L. McClellanOriginalJun 26, 2025
D-CAJohn GaramendiOriginalJun 26, 2025
D-CAJulia BrownleyOriginalJun 26, 2025
D-CAKevin MullinOriginalJun 26, 2025
D-WAMarilyn StricklandOriginalJun 26, 2025
D-CAMark TakanoOriginalJun 26, 2025
D-FLMaxwell FrostOriginalJun 26, 2025
D-KYMorgan McGarveyOriginalJun 26, 2025
D-GANikema WilliamsOriginalJun 26, 2025
D-NYPaul TonkoOriginalJun 26, 2025
D-ILRaja KrishnamoorthiOriginalJun 26, 2025
D-CASalud O. CarbajalOriginalJun 26, 2025
D-CAScott H. PetersOriginalJun 26, 2025
D-ILSean CastenOriginalJun 26, 2025
D-MASeth MoultonOriginalJun 26, 2025
D-KSSharice DavidsOriginalJun 26, 2025
D-MIShri ThanedarOriginalJun 26, 2025
D-MAStephen F. LynchOriginalJun 26, 2025
D-NYTimothy M. KennedyOriginalJun 26, 2025
D-NCValerie P. FousheeOriginalJun 26, 2025
D-ORAndrea SalinasJul 2, 2025
D-VTBecca BalintJul 2, 2025
D-PADwight EvansJul 2, 2025
D-DCEleanor Holmes NortonJul 2, 2025
D-RIGabe AmoJul 2, 2025
D-MAJames P. McGovernJul 2, 2025
D-ILJesús G. "Chuy" GarcíaJul 2, 2025
D-NJJosh GottheimerJul 2, 2025
D-NJLaMonica McIverJul 2, 2025
D-ILMike QuigleyJul 2, 2025
D-ORSuzanne BonamiciJul 2, 2025
D-CAZoe LofgrenJul 2, 2025
D-COJoe NeguseJul 17, 2025
D-CAJudy ChuJul 17, 2025
D-TXLizzie FletcherJul 17, 2025
D-TXSylvia R. GarciaJul 17, 2025
D-CATed LieuJul 17, 2025
D-MIHillary J. ScholtenAug 5, 2025
D-WASuzan K. DelBeneAug 5, 2025
D-CODiana DeGetteSep 17, 2025
D-MDApril McClain DelaneyOct 28, 2025
D-ILDelia C. RamirezMar 3, 2026
D-DESarah McBrideMar 16, 2026
D-AZAdelita S. GrijalvaApr 21, 2026
D-WAPramila JayapalJun 29, 2026
D-MAAyanna PressleyAug 20, 2026
D-MNAngie CraigOct 1, 2026
D-CARobert GarciaOct 1, 2026
D-NJRobert MenendezOct 1, 2026
D-LATroy A. CarterOct 1, 2026

Committees 1

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

ChamberCommitteeWhat it did
HouseJudiciary Committee
Referred Jun 26, 2025

Actions 2

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Jun 26, 2025Introduced in House
  2. Jun 26, 2025Referred 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: Article 1, Section 8, Clause 18 of the United States Constitution states that ``Congress shall have the authority to make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by the 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. 171, no. 110, June 26, 2025, page H3012.

Printed hearings 1

Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.

NumberHearingCommitteeHeld
Serial No. 119-17MEMBER DAY513 pagesAgriculture CommitteeDec 10, 2025

Related bills 1

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

BillTitleRelationshipLatest action
S 2201LGBTQ+ Panic Defense Prohibition Act of 2025Related billJun 27, 2025

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 prohibit defenses based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.
Short Title(s) as Introduced
LGBTQ+ Panic Defense Prohibition Act of 2025

Subjects

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

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Jun 26, 2025Introduced 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.