Jaime Zapata and Victor Avila Federal Law Enforcement Protection Act

Bill: 116-hr-6864
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Cuellar, Henry [D-TX-28]
Introduced: 2020-05-14
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation

Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad

Federal officials

Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management

Jurisdiction and venue

Law enforcement officers

Violent crime
Latest action: action_date: 2020-05-14
text: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Summaries:
action_date: 2020-05-14
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Jaime Zapata and Victor Avila Federal Law Enforcement Protection Act</b></p> <p>This bill explicitly grants extraterritorial jurisdiction over criminal conduct involving the killing (or attempted killing) of a federal officer or employee. The United States may prosecute such conduct that occurs outside the United States.</p>

tv_txt: I 116th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 6864 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 14, 2020 Mr. Cuellar (for himself, Mr. McCaul , and Mr. King of New York ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To amend title 18, United States Code, to further protect officers and employees of the United States, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Jaime Zapata and Victor Avila Federal Law Enforcement Protection Act . 2. Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that— (1) since the founding of the Nation, officers and employees of the United States Government have dutifully and faithfully served the United States overseas, including in situations that place them at serious risk of death or bodily harm, in order to preserve, protect, and defend the interests of the United States; (2) securing the safety of such officers and employees while serving overseas is of paramount importance and is also in furtherance of preserving, protecting, and defending the interests of the United States; (3) Federal courts, including the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, have correctly interpreted section 1114 of title 18, United States Code, to apply extraterritorially to protect officers and employees of the United States while the officers and employees are serving abroad; and (4) recently, in a case involving a violent attack against Federal law enforcement officers Jaime Zapata and Victor Avila, a panel of a Federal court of appeals held that section 1114 of title 18, United States Code, does not apply extraterritorially, creating a split among the United States circuit courts of appeals; and in light of the opinion described in paragraph (4), it has become necessary for Congress to clarify the original intent that section 1114 of title 18, United States Code applies extraterritorially. 3. Protection of officers and employees of the United States Section 1114 of title 18, United States Code, is amended— (1) by inserting (a) In general.— before Whoever ; and (2) by adding at the end the following: (b) Extraterritorial jurisdiction There is extraterritorial jurisdiction over the conduct prohibited by this section. .