# 119-hr-8940: Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act

119-hr-8940, Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7] (D-MA); status introduced (as of 2026-10-17).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8940
- As of: 2026-10-17
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-8940
- Congress: 119
- Title: Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-05-20
- Sponsor: Rep. Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7] (D-MA)
- Cosponsors: 35
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-17

## Summary

**A federal ban on the death penalty** would bar any death sentence for any federal crime and make that ban controlling over conflicting laws. The bill would require resentencing for people already under federal death sentences. It applies only to federal offenses and does not change state or local death-penalty laws. The text does not create new programs, fund anything, or set procedures or timelines for resentencing.

## Cosponsors (35)

- Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2] (D-MA), 2026-10-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McClellan, Jennifer L. [D-VA-4] (D-VA), 2026-10-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Balint, Becca [D-VT-At Large] (D-VT), 2026-10-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-9] (D-NY), 2026-10-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. García, Jesús G. "Chuy" [D-IL-4] (D-IL), 2026-10-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Brown, Shontel M. [D-OH-11] (D-OH), 2026-05-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carter, Troy A. [D-LA-2] (D-LA), 2026-05-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cleaver, Emanuel [D-MO-5] (D-MO), 2026-05-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Dean, Madeleine [D-PA-4] (D-PA), 2026-05-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. DeGette, Diana [D-CO-1] (D-CO), 2026-05-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Frost, Maxwell [D-FL-10] (D-FL), 2026-05-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Garcia, Robert [D-CA-42] (D-CA), 2026-05-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Jackson, Jonathan L. [D-IL-1] (D-IL), 2026-05-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4] (D-GA), 2026-05-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kelly, Robin L. [D-IL-2] (D-IL), 2026-05-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lee, Summer L. [D-PA-12] (D-PA), 2026-05-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mejia, Analilia [D-NJ-11] (D-NJ), 2026-05-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mullin, Kevin [D-CA-15] (D-CA), 2026-05-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-05-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ramirez, Delia C. [D-IL-3] (D-IL), 2026-05-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9] (D-IL), 2026-05-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Simon, Lateefah [D-CA-12] (D-CA), 2026-05-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12] (D-MI), 2026-05-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Wilson, Frederica S. [D-FL-24] (D-FL), 2026-05-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pallone, Frank [D-NJ-6] (D-NJ), 2026-05-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3] (D-PA), 2026-05-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36] (D-CA), 2026-06-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Dexter, Maxine [D-OR-3] (D-OR), 2026-06-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. DeSaulnier, Mark [D-CA-10] (D-CA), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1] (D-OR), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1] (D-WA), 2026-07-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Sykes, Emilia Strong [D-OH-13] (D-OH), 2026-07-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Himes, James A. [D-CT-4] (D-CT), 2026-08-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28] (D-CA), 2026-09-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-18] (D-CA), 2026-09-02T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Resentencing for federal death-row inmates: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would require that any person who was sentenced to death under federal law before the date it becomes law be resentenced. The resentencing obligation would take effect on the date of enactment and apply to all prior federal death sentences. The bill does not set procedures, alt…
- Ban on federal death sentences: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would bar any person from being sentenced to death or executed for any violation of federal law on or after the date it becomes law. The prohibition would operate "notwithstanding" any other provision of law, meaning it would control over conflicting statutes or interpretations…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025
- 119-hr-5390: FAMILY Act
- 119-hr-15: Equality Act
- 119-hr-1589: American Dream and Promise Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2763: American Family Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-8940 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8940)

## Related
- [119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-51)
- [119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-20)
- [119-hr-5390: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5390)
- [119-hr-15: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-15)
- [119-hr-1589: American Dream and Promise Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1589)
- [119-hr-2763: American Family Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2763)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8940 (as of 2026-10-17).