Protect and Serve Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Representative Rutherford
Introduced
Summary
Would create a new federal crime for attacking law enforcement officers. It would let federal prosecutors pursue cases in specific interstate, weapon-related, federal-property, or federal-officer situations, but only after written certification from the Attorney General or a designee.
Show full summary
- Law enforcement officers: Creates a federal offense for willfully causing serious bodily injury to a person because they are a law enforcement officer, or attempting to do so. Penalties would include up to 10 years in prison, and any term of years or life if death results or the offense involves kidnapping or an attempted killing.
- Scope of federal reach: Applies when the conduct occurs during travel across State or national borders or uses interstate commerce, when a firearm or weapon that traveled in interstate commerce is employed, when it happens on federal property, or when the victim is a Federal law enforcement officer.
- Federal prosecutorial check: Bars U.S. prosecution unless the Attorney General or a designee issues a written certification that a State requested federal jurisdiction or that federal prosecution is in the public interest and necessary to secure substantial justice. That certification must consider the State verdict or sentence, planning and premeditation, intended outcome, disregard for human life and collateral harm, and the public safety benefit of federal prosecution.
Adds definitions for “law enforcement officer” and “State,” and updates the chapter table to list the new section.
Your PRIA Score
Personalized for You
How does this bill affect your finances?
Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this bill and every other piece of legislation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
New federal crime for attacking officers
If enacted, this would make it a federal crime to willfully injure someone because they are a law enforcement officer, or to try to do so. The penalty would be up to 10 years in prison, a fine, or both. If death results, or if the attack includes kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, or an attempt to kill, the penalty could be any term of years or life, plus fines. Federal charges would only proceed with a written sign-off by the Attorney General or a designee, unless a State asks for federal help; the decision would weigh state outcomes, planning, intended harm, danger to others, and public safety. The case would also need a federal link, like interstate travel or commerce, use of a weapon that crossed state lines, conduct on federal property, or a federal officer as the victim; “law enforcement officer” would include officers who investigate crimes or run jails.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Rutherford
FL • R
Cosponsors
Gottheimer
NJ • D
Sponsored 2/25/2025
Stauber
MN • R
Sponsored 2/25/2025
Golden (ME)
ME • D
Sponsored 2/25/2025
Hern (OK)
OK • R
Sponsored 2/25/2025
Fitzgerald
WI • R
Sponsored 2/25/2025
Smith (NJ)
NJ • R
Sponsored 3/10/2025
Moore (NC)
NC • R
Sponsored 3/10/2025
Bean (FL)
FL • R
Sponsored 3/10/2025
McDowell
NC • R
Sponsored 3/10/2025
Amodei (NV)
NV • R
Sponsored 3/10/2025
Gooden
TX • R
Sponsored 3/10/2025
Valadao
CA • R
Sponsored 3/10/2025
Deluzio
PA • D
Sponsored 3/10/2025
Foxx
NC • R
Sponsored 3/10/2025
Ezell
MS • R
Sponsored 3/10/2025
Franklin, Scott
FL • R
Sponsored 3/10/2025
Bacon
NE • R
Sponsored 3/10/2025
Pfluger
TX • R
Sponsored 3/10/2025
LaLota
NY • R
Sponsored 3/10/2025
Rogers (AL)
AL • R
Sponsored 3/10/2025
Hudson
NC • R
Sponsored 3/10/2025
Obernolte
CA • R
Sponsored 3/10/2025
Harrigan
NC • R
Sponsored 3/14/2025
Barr
KY • R
Sponsored 3/14/2025
Craig
MN • D
Sponsored 3/14/2025
Nunn (IA)
IA • R
Sponsored 3/14/2025
Fitzpatrick
PA • R
Sponsored 3/14/2025
Diaz-Balart
FL • R
Sponsored 3/14/2025
LaHood
IL • R
Sponsored 3/14/2025
Finstad
MN • R
Sponsored 3/14/2025
Davis (NC)
NC • D
Sponsored 3/14/2025
Murphy
NC • R
Sponsored 3/14/2025
Edwards
NC • R
Sponsored 3/14/2025
Lawler
NY • R
Sponsored 3/14/2025
Costa
CA • D
Sponsored 3/24/2025
Harris (NC)
NC • R
Sponsored 3/24/2025
Sessions
TX • R
Sponsored 3/24/2025
Guthrie
KY • R
Sponsored 3/24/2025
Gimenez
FL • R
Sponsored 3/24/2025
Nehls
TX • R
Sponsored 3/24/2025
Balderson
OH • R
Sponsored 3/31/2025
Fischbach
MN • R
Sponsored 3/31/2025
Meuser
PA • R
Sponsored 3/31/2025
Miller (OH)
OH • R
Sponsored 3/31/2025
Kiley (CA)
CA • R
Sponsored 3/31/2025
Calvert
CA • R
Sponsored 3/31/2025
Fry
SC • R
Sponsored 3/31/2025
Smith (NE)
NE • R
Sponsored 4/7/2025
Gillen
NY • D
Sponsored 4/7/2025
Stefanik
NY • R
Sponsored 4/17/2025
Tiffany
WI • R
Sponsored 4/17/2025
Carey
OH • R
Sponsored 4/17/2025
Panetta
CA • D
Sponsored 4/17/2025
Boyle (PA)
PA • D
Sponsored 4/28/2025
Sherrill
NJ • D
Sponsored 4/28/2025
Van Drew
NJ • R
Sponsored 4/28/2025
Bice
OK • R
Sponsored 4/28/2025
Hunt
TX • R
Sponsored 5/7/2025
Kean
NJ • R
Sponsored 5/8/2025
Harder (CA)
CA • D
Sponsored 5/13/2025
Gonzales, Tony
TX • R
Sponsored 5/13/2025
Perez
WA • D
Sponsored 5/19/2025
Vindman
VA • D
Sponsored 5/19/2025
Bresnahan
PA • R
Sponsored 5/19/2025
Tenney
NY • R
Sponsored 5/19/2025
Kustoff
TN • R
Sponsored 6/5/2025
Williams (TX)
TX • R
Sponsored 6/5/2025
Rulli
OH • R
Sponsored 6/5/2025
Ciscomani
AZ • R
Sponsored 6/9/2025
Wagner
MO • R
Sponsored 6/9/2025
Van Duyne
TX • R
Sponsored 6/9/2025
Landsman
OH • D
Sponsored 6/9/2025
Garbarino
NY • R
Sponsored 6/12/2025
Hinson
IA • R
Sponsored 6/12/2025
Bost
IL • R
Sponsored 6/12/2025
Pappas
NH • D
Sponsored 6/12/2025
Norman
SC • R
Sponsored 6/12/2025
Newhouse
WA • R
Sponsored 6/12/2025
Kiggans (VA)
VA • R
Sponsored 6/24/2025
Malliotakis
NY • R
Sponsored 6/24/2025
Schmidt
KS • R
Sponsored 6/24/2025
Letlow
LA • R
Sponsored 7/23/2025
Harris (MD)
MD • R
Sponsored 7/23/2025
Moran
TX • R
Sponsored 7/23/2025
Turner (OH)
OH • R
Sponsored 8/5/2025
Walberg
MI • R
Sponsored 8/5/2025
Van Orden
WI • R
Sponsored 9/15/2025
Davids (KS)
KS • D
Sponsored 9/15/2025
Lee (FL)
FL • R
Sponsored 9/15/2025
Houlahan
PA • D
Sponsored 9/15/2025
McDonald Rivet
MI • D
Sponsored 9/15/2025
Hamadeh (AZ)
AZ • R
Sponsored 10/17/2025
Patronis
FL • R
Sponsored 10/17/2025
Evans (CO)
CO • R
Sponsored 12/15/2025
Fedorchak
ND • R
Sponsored 1/8/2026
Kelly (PA)
PA • R
Sponsored 2/10/2026
Correa
CA • D
Sponsored 2/10/2026
DesJarlais
TN • R
Sponsored 2/10/2026
Burchett
TN • R
Sponsored 2/10/2026
Cole
OK • R
Sponsored 2/10/2026
Tran
CA • D
Sponsored 2/10/2026
Mackenzie
PA • R
Sponsored 2/10/2026
Fleischmann
TN • R
Sponsored 2/24/2026
Latta
OH • R
Sponsored 2/24/2026
Babin
TX • R
Sponsored 2/24/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.govTake It Personal
Get Your Personalized Policy View
Start a Free Government Policy Watch to see how policy affects your household, then upgrade to PRIA Full Coverage for year-round monitoring.
Already have an account? Sign in