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119-hr-5054119th CongressWALLET

Freedom From Union Violence Act of 2025

Sponsored By: Representative Perry, Scott [R-PA-10]

Introduced

Summary

Would make it a stronger federal crime to use threats or violence to obstruct commerce while carving out protection for peaceful picketing. It would reconstitute the Hobbs Act to cover obstructing, delaying, or affecting commerce by robbery, extortion, attempts, conspiracies, or threats of physical violence, define key terms, and set penalties up to 20 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.

Show full summary
  • Workers and unions: Peaceful picketing during a labor dispute and isolated minor injuries or minor property damage would be exempt from this federal offense and left to State and local prosecution.
  • People who use violence or threats: Conduct that involves committing or threatening physical violence to further a plan to obstruct commerce would be federally punishable under the redefined offense.
  • Scope and legal preservation: "Commerce" would be defined to include the District of Columbia, territories, interstate and certain intrastate commerce, and other commerce under U.S. jurisdiction, while explicitly preserving the Clayton Act, the Norris-LaGuardia Act, the National Labor Relations Act, and the Railway Labor Act.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.

New federal offense for robbery and extortion

This bill would create a federal crime for blocking or harming commerce by robbery or extortion. It would also cover attempts, conspiracies, and physical violence tied to such plans. Penalties could be a fine up to $100,000, up to 20 years in prison, or both. The bill would define key terms, including a broad meaning of commerce across states, D.C., and U.S. territories. It would define robbery and extortion, and use the federal labor law meaning of a labor dispute. Peaceful picketing with only minor harm would be exempt under a separate rule.

Rules for labor picketing and federal cases

If enacted, some conduct during peaceful picketing would not face federal charges. It must be incidental to peaceful picketing in a labor dispute, involve only minor injury or small property damage (or threats of that), and not be part of a pattern or coordinated violence. Those cases would be handled only by state or local authorities. The bill would also say it does not change the Clayton Act, the Norris-LaGuardia Act, the National Labor Relations Act, or the Railway Labor Act. It would allow federal cases to proceed even if state law also applies or the act happened during a labor dispute or pursuit of a business or labor goal.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Perry, Scott [R-PA-10]

PA • R

Cosponsors

  • Rep. Ogles, Andrew [R-TN-5]

    TN • R

    Sponsored 8/26/2025

  • Rep. Cloud, Michael [R-TX-27]

    TX • R

    Sponsored 8/26/2025

  • Rep. Crane, Elijah [R-AZ-2]

    AZ • R

    Sponsored 8/26/2025

  • Rep. Higgins, Clay [R-LA-3]

    LA • R

    Sponsored 8/26/2025

  • Rep. Miller, Mary E. [R-IL-15]

    IL • R

    Sponsored 9/26/2025

  • Rep. Harris, Mark [R-NC-8]

    NC • R

    Sponsored 10/14/2025

  • Rep. Wilson, Joe [R-SC-2]

    SC • R

    Sponsored 3/27/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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