DETERRENCE Act
Sponsored By: Senator Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH]
Passed Senate
Summary
Adds tougher federal prison terms for crimes carried out knowingly at the direction of or in coordination with a foreign government. The DETERRENCE Act would create a common legal trigger that raises penalties across several violent and national-security statutes when an offense is linked to a foreign government or its agent.
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- People convicted of covered crimes would face higher sentences. Kidnapping and related conspiracy or attempt penalties can increase by up to 10 years for foreign-directed offenses, and some attempts can add up to 5 years.
- Murder, attempted murder, murder-for-hire, and violent assaults tied to foreign direction would carry steeper enhancements. Certain murders and conspiracies can add up to 10 years, and some kidnapping or official-assault enhancements also reach up to 10 years.
- Prosecutors and courts would apply the same predicate across multiple statutes. The bill reworks provisions in 18 U.S.C. sections covering kidnapping, murder-for-hire, assault on officials, stalking and presidential-protection crimes to trigger only when the act is knowingly directed or coordinated with a foreign government, with technical cross-reference fixes.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Higher penalties for foreign-directed crimes
This bill would let judges add prison time when certain crimes were done at a foreign government's direction or in coordination with its agent. It would allow up to 10 added years for kidnappings. Conspiracy to kidnap could get up to 10 extra years, and attempted kidnapping up to 5 years. It would add up to 5 extra years for some murder-for-hire cases and up to 10 years if personal injury results. Stalking penalties could rise by up to 5 years for serious injury or weapon use, up to 10 years if the victim dies, or about 30 months in other cases. It would allow up to 10 extra years for attacks on federal officers and for crimes against the President and other protected persons, with extra 10-year increases in some weapon or injury cases.
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Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH]
NH • D
Cosponsors
Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA]
IA • R
Sponsored 3/26/2025
Sen. Banks, Jim [R-IN]
IN • R
Sponsored 3/26/2025
Rep. Slotkin, Elissa [D-MI-7]
MI • D
Sponsored 3/26/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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