# 119-hr-286: Preserving Safe Communities by Ending Swatting Act of 2025

119-hr-286, Preserving Safe Communities by Ending Swatting Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Kustoff, David [R-TN-8] (R-TN); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-286
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-286
- Congress: 119
- Title: Preserving Safe Communities by Ending Swatting Act of 2025
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-01-09
- Sponsor: Rep. Kustoff, David [R-TN-8] (R-TN)
- Cosponsors: 28
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Create criminal and civil liability for false emergency communications (swatting).** This bill would punish people who knowingly send false or misleading reports that could trigger a police, fire, or other emergency deployment and would let responders recover costs from those reports. - Families and people threatened by hoax calls: The bill aims to deter dangerous hoaxes by making swatting a federal offense and by attaching legal consequences to false emergency reports. - Emergency responders, local governments, and private not-for-profit fire or rescue groups: These parties could bring private lawsuits to recover expenses for any emergency or investigative response. The bill defines “emergency response” to include deployments, evacuation orders, and public warnings by public safety agencies and by private not-for-profit responders. - People who make false reports: Criminal penalties would include fines or up to 5 years in prison for standard cases, up to 20 years if serious bodily injury results, and up to life if death results.

## Cosponsors (28)

- Rep. Rutherford, John H. [R-FL-5] (R-FL), 2025-01-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moskowitz, Jared [D-FL-23] (D-FL), 2025-01-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cuellar, Henry [D-TX-28] (D-TX), 2025-01-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Magaziner, Seth [D-RI-2] (D-RI), 2025-01-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5] (D-NJ), 2025-01-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ezell, Mike [R-MS-4] (R-MS), 2025-01-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lee, Laurel M. [R-FL-15] (R-FL), 2025-01-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. James, John [R-MI-10] (R-MI), 2025-01-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Panetta, Jimmy [D-CA-19] (D-CA), 2025-01-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gill, Brandon [R-TX-26] (R-TX), 2025-03-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bice, Stephanie I. [R-OK-5] (R-OK), 2025-03-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Hageman, Harriet M. [R-WY-At Large] (R-WY), 2025-03-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Harrigan, Pat [R-NC-10] (R-NC), 2025-03-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cline, Ben [R-VA-6] (R-VA), 2025-03-27T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7] (D-VA), 2025-03-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moore, Riley M. [R-WV-2] (R-WV), 2025-04-01T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ogles, Andrew [R-TN-5] (R-TN), 2025-04-01T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pfluger, August [R-TX-11] (R-TX), 2025-04-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Williams, Roger [R-TX-25] (R-TX), 2025-04-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Shreve, Jefferson [R-IN-6] (R-IN), 2025-07-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Obernolte, Jay [R-CA-23] (R-CA), 2025-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gonzales, Tony [R-TX-23] (R-TX), 2025-10-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fry, Russell [R-SC-7] (R-SC), 2025-10-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17] (R-NY), 2025-10-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gillen, Laura [D-NY-4] (D-NY), 2025-10-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Suozzi, Thomas R. [D-NY-3] (D-NY), 2025-12-01T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Min, Dave [D-CA-47] (D-CA), 2025-12-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bacon, Don [R-NE-2] (R-NE), 2026-03-03T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Make swatting a federal crime: benefit, high. The bill would make causing a false emergency response a federal crime. Penalties would be fines or up to 5 years in prison; up to 20 years if serious injury; and up to life if death results. It would also broaden what counts as an emergency response, including deployments, evacuation orders, and p…
- Sue swatters for response costs: benefit, medium. If enacted, you would be able to sue someone who makes a false emergency report. You could recover money you paid because police, fire, or investigators responded. This would apply when the false report could be believed or was sent by mail or across state lines and points to a crime or danger. The…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act
- 119-hr-1422: Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1628: 761st Tank Battalion Congressional Gold Medal Act
- 119-hr-1502: North Platte Canteen Congressional Gold Medal Act
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act
- 119-hr-2853: Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-286 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/286)

## Related
- [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842)
- [119-hr-1422: Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1422)
- [119-hr-1628: 761st Tank Battalion Congressional Gold Medal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1628)
- [119-hr-1502: North Platte Canteen Congressional Gold Medal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1502)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-2853: Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2853)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-286 (as of 2026-04-21).