117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 921 

AN ACT 

To amend title 18, United States Code, to further protect 

officers and employees of the United States, and for 

other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
2 

†S 921 ES

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Jaime Zapata and Vic3 tor Avila Federal Officers and Employees Protection Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

5 It is the sense of Congress that— 

6 (1) since the founding of the Nation, officers 

7 and employees of the United States Government 

8 have dutifully and faithfully served the United 

9 States overseas, including in situations that place 

10 them at serious risk of death or bodily harm, in 

11 order to preserve, protect, and defend the interests 

12 of the United States; 

13 (2) securing the safety of such officers and em14 ployees while serving overseas is of paramount im15 portance and is also in furtherance of preserving, 

16 protecting, and defending the interests of the United 

17 States; 

18 (3) Federal courts, including the United States 

19 Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the United 

20 States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and 

21 the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh 

22 Circuit, have correctly interpreted section 1114 of 

23 title 18, United States Code, to apply 

24 extraterritorially to protect officers and employees of 

25 the United States while the officers and employees 

26 are serving abroad; 
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†S 921 ES

1 (4) in a case involving a violent attack against 

2 Federal law enforcement officers Jaime Zapata and 

3 Victor Avila, a panel of a Federal court of appeals 

4 held that section 1114 of title 18, United States 

5 Code, does not apply extraterritorially, creating a 

6 split among the United States circuit courts of ap7 peals; 

8 (5) in light of the opinion described in para9 graph (4), it has become necessary for Congress to 

10 clarify the original intent that section 1114 of title 

11 18, United States Code, applies extraterritorially; 

12 and 

13 (6) it is further appropriate to clarify the origi14 nal intent that sections 111 and 115 of title 18, 

15 United States Code, apply extraterritorially as well. 

16 SEC. 3. PROTECTION OF OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES OF 

17 THE UNITED STATES. 

18 Part I of title 18, United States Code, is amended— 

19 (1) in section 111, by adding at the end the fol20 lowing: 

21 ‘‘(c) EXTRATERRITORIAL JURISDICTION.—There is 

22 extraterritorial jurisdiction over the conduct prohibited by 

23 this section.’’; 

24 (2) in section 115, by adding at the end the fol25 lowing: 
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†S 921 ES

1 ‘‘(e) There is extraterritorial jurisdiction over the 

2 conduct prohibited by this section.’’; and 

3 (3) in section 1114— 

4 (A) by inserting ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—’’ be5 fore ‘‘Whoever’’; and 

6 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(b) EXTRATERRITORIAL JURISDICTION.—There is 

8 extraterritorial jurisdiction over the conduct prohibited by 

9 this section.’’. 

Passed the Senate May 28 (legislative day, May 27), 

2021. 

Attest: 

Secretary. 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 921 

AN ACT 

To amend title 18, United States Code, to further 

States, and for other purposes. protect officers and employees of the United