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Preserving Safe Communities by Ending Swatting Act of 2025
To amend title 18, United States Code, to penalize false communications to cause an emergency response, and for other purposes.
Summary
This bill amends federal law to increase penalties for "swatting"—making false reports that trigger emergency responses. It makes it a crime to deliberately convey false information indicating that someone has committed a serious federal crime or endangered public safety, when such information is likely to cause emergency responders to deploy. Penalties range from up to 5 years in prison for a basic offense, to up to 20 years if serious bodily injury results, and life imprisonment if death results from the false report. The bill also creates civil liability, allowing those incurring expenses from emergency responses to sue for compensation. It defines "emergency response" as any deployment of personnel or equipment, evacuation order, or warning issued by public safety agencies in response to the false report.
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)
- Sen. Scott, Rick [R-FL] (R-FL)
2 cosponsors
- Sen. Rounds, Mike [R-SD] (R-SD)
- Sen. Tuberville, Tommy [R-AL] (R-AL)
Actions (2)
- Jan 9, 2025 Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. · senate
- Jan 9, 2025 Introduced in Senate
More bills on these subjects (8)
Other bills that carry the most legislative subjects in common with this one (topical discovery — distinct from the procedural related bills above).
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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 9, 2025
Mr. Scott of Florida (for himself, Mr. Tuberville, and Mr. Rounds) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
A BILL
To amend title 18, United States Code, to penalize false communications to cause an emergency response, 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 “Preserving Safe Communities by Ending Swatting Act of 2025”.
SEC. 2. FALSE COMMUNICATIONS TO CAUSE AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE.
Section 1038 of title 18, United States Code, is amended—
(1) by striking subsection (a)(1) and inserting the following:
“(1) In general.—Whoever engages in any conduct with intent to convey false or misleading information—
“(A) under circumstances where such information may reasonably be believed and where such information indicates that an activity has taken, is taking, or will take place that would constitute a violation of chapter 2, 10, 11B, 39, 40, 44, 111, or 113B of this title, section 236 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2284), or section 46502, the second sentence of section 46504, section 46505(b)(3) or (c), section 46506 if homicide or attempted homicide is involved, or section 60123(b) of title 49; or
“(B) using the mail or any facility or means of interstate or foreign commerce, under circumstances where such information may reasonably be expected to cause an emergency response and the information indicates that conduct has taken, is taking, or will take place that constitutes a crime under State or Federal law or endangers public health or safety or the health or safety of any person, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both. If serious bodily injury results, the defendant shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both, and if death results, the defendant shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for any number of years up to life, or both.”;
(2) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the following:
“(b) Civil Action.—Whoever engages in any conduct with intent to convey false or misleading information—
“(1) under circumstances where such information may reasonably be believed and where such information indicates that an activity has taken, is taking, or will take place that would constitute a violation of chapter 2, 10, 11B, 39, 40, 44, 111, or 113B of this title, section 236 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2284), or section 46502, the second sentence of section 46504, section 46505 (b)(3) or (c), section 46506 if homicide or attempted homicide is involved, or section 60123(b) of title 49; or
“(2) using the mail or any facility or means of interstate or foreign commerce, under circumstances where such information may reasonably be expected to cause an emergency response and the information indicates that conduct has taken, is taking, or will take place that constitutes a crime under State or Federal law or endangers public health or safety or the health or safety of any person, is liable in a civil action to any party incurring expenses incident to any emergency or investigative response to that conduct, for those expenses.”; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
“(e) Definition.—In this section, the term ‘emergency response’ means any deployment of personnel or equipment, order or advice to evacuate, or issuance of a warning to the public or a threatened person, organization, or establishment, by an agency of the United States or a State charged with public safety functions, including any agency charged with detecting, preventing, or investigating crimes or with fire or rescue functions, or by a private not-for-profit organization that provides fire or rescue functions.”. <all>
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