# 119-hr-8685: Protect the Presidency Act

119-hr-8685, Protect the Presidency Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Gooden, Lance [R-TX-5] (R-TX); status introduced (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8685
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-8685
- Congress: 119
- Title: Protect the Presidency Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-05-07
- Sponsor: Rep. Gooden, Lance [R-TX-5] (R-TX)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**Adds the death penalty as an explicit punishment for attempted assassination of the officials protected by 18 U.S.C. 1751.** This bill would insert the words "death or" before the word "imprisonment" in that statute, making a death sentence a permissible option alongside imprisonment for attempted attacks on the persons the statute covers. The text does not create new offenses, specify sentencing procedures, provide funding, or change other penalties. The core effect is to broaden the range of punishments available for attempted assassination of those specified in the statute.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Steube, W. Gregory [R-FL-17] (R-FL), 2026-05-07T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Death penalty for attacks on protected officials: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would add the words 'death or' before 'imprisonment' in 18 U.S.C. 1751(c). That change would make the death penalty an available punishment for attempted assassination of protected people. It would not create a new crime or set sentencing procedures. The change would take effec…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-9298: Stopping Harmful and Outrageous Torts Act
- 119-hr-6766: Essential Caregivers Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2395: SHORT Act
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-8685 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8685)

## Related
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-9298: Stopping Harmful and Outrageous Torts Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9298)
- [119-hr-6766: Essential Caregivers Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6766)
- [119-hr-2395: SHORT Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2395)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8685 (as of 2026-09-21).