Latest action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Referred to one or more standing committees for review, hearings, and possible markup.
Specific committees not parsed from action data.
The committee may hold hearings, amend the bill, or let it die without action.
Next: Reported
Full chamber floor — Speaker / Majority Leader controls scheduling
Ban using LGBTQ+ identity as legal defense for violent crimes.
The problem
Some defendants claim panic or emotional distress from encountering LGBTQ+ people to reduce criminal charges. This allows violent offenders to receive lighter sentences.
The proposal
Prohibit courts from accepting 'panic defense' arguments based on victim's sexual orientation or gender identity in federal criminal cases.
The impact
Affects criminal defendants, LGBTQ+ victims, judges, and federal court proceedings nationwide.
Prevents defendants from using someone's identity as an excuse for violence. Ensures all victims receive equal legal protection regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Removes a legal strategy that allows violent offenders to face lighter punishments. Helps ensure proportional sentencing for crimes.
Acknowledges that crimes motivated by bias against LGBTQ+ people are serious. Treats such crimes appropriately in the justice system.
Many states already ban panic defenses. Federal legislation creates consistency across the country.
Removes a legal strategy defendants could use. May reduce options for defense attorneys representing their clients.
Only applies to federal crimes, not state crimes. Many violent crimes are prosecuted at state level, limiting real-world effect.
Definition of 'panic defense' may be vague in practice. Courts might interpret the ban differently in individual cases.
Generated by AI from the bill text. Not a prediction and not legal or policy advice. The percentage is the model's own rating of each item — self-reported, and not a measure of how accurate it is.
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Individual contributions, grouped by employer · FEC
Where their individual donors work · 2026 cycle
Money from people who work there, not from the company. Not tied to this bill.
Itemized individual contributions via FEC, grouped by the employer each contributor self-reported. Companies and unions cannot contribute to federal candidates from their treasuries, so these totals are money from people who work at an employer — never from the organization itself. They are campaign contributions covering a full election cycle and are not connected to this bill.
Senate LDA lobbying disclosures
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