S 83 — Thin Blue Line Act

Summary

Adds killing or attempting to kill a law enforcement officer or first responder as an aggravating factor in federal death penalty cases.
Applies this aggravating factor when the officer or responder was killed or targeted while engaged in their official duties.
Applies this aggravating factor when the officer or responder was killed or targeted because of their official duties.
Applies this aggravating factor when the officer or responder was killed or targeted because of their status as a public official or employee.
Covers law enforcement officers (police, prosecutors, investigators) and first responders (firefighters and other emergency personnel).

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. Cruz, Ted (R-TX)

16 cosponsors

Money behind the sponsor

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

Employer not reported $4,424,745
ENTREPRENEUR $458,096
RDV CORPORATION $39,600
AMERICAN AIRLINES $29,632
BLACKSTONE $27,400

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

Actions (2)

Jan 14, 2025 Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. · senate
Jan 14, 2025 Introduced in Senate

Related bills (1)

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.

Text versions (1)

Introduced in Senate · Jan 14, 2025

Only one text version is on file, so there’s no earlier version to compare against yet.

Full text

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

January 14, 2025

Mr. Cruz (for himself, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Hagerty, Mr. Scott of Florida, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Hoeven, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Budd, Mr. Johnson, and Mr. Lankford) 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 provide enhanced penalties for convicted murderers who kill or target America’s public safety officers.

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 “Thin Blue Line Act”.

SEC. 2. AGGRAVATING FACTORS FOR DEATH PENALTY.

Section 3592(c) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting after paragraph (16) the following:

“(17) Killing or targeting of law enforcement officers.—

“(A) The defendant killed or attempted to kill, in a circumstance described in subparagraph (B), a person who is authorized by law—

“(i) to engage in or supervise the prevention, detention, investigation, or prosecution of, or the incarceration of any person for, any criminal violation of law;

“(ii) to apprehend, arrest, or prosecute an individual for any criminal violation of law; or

“(iii) to be a firefighter or other first responder.

“(B) A circumstance referred to in subparagraph

(A) is that the person was killed or targeted—

“(i) while he or she was engaged in the performance of his or her official duties;

“(ii) because of the performance of his or her official duties; or

“(iii) because of his or her status as a public official or employee.”. <all>

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