HR 780 — Alexandra’s Law Act of 2025

Summary

Authorizes courts to charge drug distribution as homicide when death results from distribution of fentanyl or its analogues
Requires courts to advise persons convicted or pleading guilty to fentanyl distribution involving death of the dangers of illicit fentanyl and that future provision of such substances resulting in death could lead to homicide charges
Allows prior convictions for fentanyl distribution resulting in death to be admitted as evidence in homicide prosecutions to demonstrate the defendant's knowledge that the substance contained fentanyl
Permits advisory statements substantially similar to the required court warning from state courts to be admitted in federal court, and vice versa
Exempts individuals who were minors at the time of the original offense from having prior fentanyl distribution convictions used as evidence in subsequent homicide prosecutions

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.

Sponsor (1)

Rep. Issa, Darrell (R-CA) [#48]

2 cosponsors

Rep. Kiley, Kevin (R-CA) [#3]
Rep. Obernolte, Jay (R-CA) [#23]

Money behind the sponsor

Top reported contributors to Darrell Issa’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.

Employer not reported $45,911
ARMSCOR PRECISION INTL $18,200
GOOGLE $11,400
FRANKLIN SQUARE GROUP $7,050
1A AUTO $6,850

Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Darrell Issa → · Outside spending →

Actions (2)

Jan 28, 2025 Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. · house
Jan 28, 2025 Introduced in House

Similar bills (6)

Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.

Full text

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 28, 2025

Mr. Issa (for himself, Mr. Kiley of California, and Mr. Obernolte) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

A BILL

To authorize the court to make an advisory statement under certain circumstances, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the “Alexandra’s Law Act of 2025”.

SEC. 2. CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES ADVISORY STATEMENT.

Section 401 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 841) is amended by adding at the end the following:

“(i) Advisory Statement.—

“(1) Conviction.—Any person who is convicted of, or enters a plea of guilty or no contest, to an offense under this section with respect to which death occurred, may be charged with homicide.

“(2) Court advising.—A court shall advise any person who is convicted of, or enters a plea of guilty or no contest to, an offense under this section involving N-phenyl-N-[1-(2- phenylethyl)-4-piperidinyl] propanamide, or an analogue thereof, exchanged for anything of value, with respect to which death occurred, of the following: “‘You are hereby advised that all illicit drugs and counterfeit pills are dangerous to human life and become even deadlier when they are, sometimes unknowingly, mixed with substances such as fentanyl and analogues of fentanyl. People can and have died from these substances, even in very small doses. It is extremely dangerous and deadly to human life to sell or administer drugs, in any form, when not lawfully authorized to do so. If you do so in the future and a person dies as a result of that action, and you knew or should have known that the substance you provided contained fentanyl or a fentanyl analogue, you may be charged with an offense under section 1111 or 1112 of title 18, United States Code. This conviction will be considered by a judge or jury as to whether you knew or should have known that the substance you provided to the decedent contained fentanyl.’.

“(3) Evidence.—

“(A) In general.—Except as provided in paragraph

(4), in the case of a defendant who is charged with an offense under section 1111 of 1112 of title 18, United States Code, with respect to a death involving N- phenyl-N-[1-(2-phenylethyl)-4-piperidinyl] propanamide or an analogue thereof, exchanged for anything of value, a previous conviction for, or a plea of guilty or no contest to, an offense under this section involving N-phenyl-N-[1-(2-phenylethyl)-4-piperidinyl] propanamide, or an analogue thereof, in exchange for anything of value, with respect to which death occurred, may be used as evidence that the defendant had knowledge that the substance provided to the decedent contained N-phenyl-N-[1-(2-phenylethyl)-4- piperidinyl] propanamide or an analogue thereof.

“(B) Admission of state court acknowledgment.—Any sworn statement used in State court that is substantially similar to the statement in paragraph (2) shall be admissible in a Federal court.

“(C) Admission of federal court acknowledgment.— Any sworn statement in paragraph (2) may be admissible in a State court.

“(4) Exception.—Paragraph (3) shall not apply to the prosecution of an individual who was a minor at the time at which the individual committed the offense.”. <all>

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