Criminal Justice

This bill creates new federal criminal penalties for intentionally coercing minors (under 18) through interstate means (like mail or online platforms) to engage in harmful acts. It specifically prohibits forcing minors to commit self-harm (including suicide attempts), animal cruelty, abusive nonsexual conduct, sexually explicit acts, or obscene speech. Violations carry fines and prison terms of up to 10 years, with harsher penalties (up to 20 years or life) if serious injury or death results. The law directly protects minors from coercion by perpetrators using interstate communication or commerce, with enforcement under existing federal criminal code.

This bill creates new grounds for deporting non-citizens who are members of or associated with criminal gangs. It defines a "criminal gang" as a group of five or more people whose primary purpose is committing serious crimes like drug offenses, violence, trafficking, or weapons violations. The Secretary of Homeland Security can designate groups as criminal gangs after consultation with the Attorney General, and these designations make gang members ineligible for asylum, temporary protected status, parole, and other immigration benefits. The bill also establishes procedures for reviewing and revoking these designations, with limited judicial review options.

HR 629, the "Ending Chemical Abortions Act of 2025," would criminalize the prescription, distribution, or sale of drugs used for chemical abortions (like mifepristone and misoprostol) under federal law, with penalties up to 25 years in prison. It directly affects healthcare providers who prescribe or dispense these drugs, while exempting contraceptive use before pregnancy, treatment of miscarriages, and life-threatening pregnancy conditions certified by a physician. The bill defines "abortion" as intentionally ending a pregnancy, excludes women from prosecution, and redefines "unborn child" to begin at fertilization. This legislation would replace existing federal abortion-related provisions and apply nationwide, making chemical abortion drugs subject to new criminal penalties.

HR 6104, the Dark Web Interdiction Act of 2025, creates a new federal offense for knowingly distributing controlled substances via the dark web and establishes the Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement Task Force. The bill mandates a 2-level sentencing increase for such violations and directs the new task force - comprising agencies like the FBI, DEA, and Customs - to disrupt dark web drug marketplaces through coordinated investigations, forensic training, and international collaboration. It requires annual reports on the task force’s activities and a separate report on virtual currency use in drug trafficking. The law applies directly to law enforcement agencies and targets individuals operating or using dark web marketplaces for illicit drug sales, with a 5-year sunset provision.

HR 4015, the Safe and Open Streets Act, amends federal law to make it a crime to intentionally block public roads in a way that disrupts commerce. It targets individuals who obstruct, delay, or affect the movement of goods or services on public roads, with penalties including fines or up to five years in prison. The bill directly affects anyone who blocks roads during protests, demonstrations, or other actions that interfere with commercial traffic. This law updates existing federal commerce disruption statutes (18 U.S.C. §1951) to specifically address roadblocks, removing outdated language about "threats or violence" from related provisions.

S 34, the Justice for 9/11 Act, directly affects Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin ‘Attash, and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi - three individuals detained at Guantanamo Bay for their alleged roles in the 9/11 attacks. The bill mandates that their plea agreements and judgments cannot block military trials under Chapter 47A of Title 10 for the 9/11 attacks, makes the death penalty available in such trials, and requires them to remain in solitary confinement at Guantanamo Bay under strict conditions. Specifically, it prohibits contact with foreign nationals, restricts psychological treatment to only what medical authorities at Guantanamo authorize, and bans their transfer to the continental U.S. or any other country. The law overrides prior legal barriers to ensure these individuals face trial under military law with these specific confinement and sentencing provisions.

HR 1203, the Stop VOYEURS Act of 2025, strengthens federal criminal penalties for secret recording of people in private settings without consent. It increases maximum prison sentences for video voyeurism from one year to five years and expands federal jurisdiction by defining specific circumstances where such acts become federal crimes. These include using interstate commerce for payments, transmitting recordings via computer/email, using equipment that crossed state lines, or conducting the act in federal territories. The law directly affects individuals who secretly record others without consent in private situations, making these acts federal offenses when connected to interstate activity. This change aims to address the growing prevalence of non-consensual recordings by broadening enforcement scope.

Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act or the HALT Fentanyl Act This act permanently places fentanyl-related substances as a class into schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. A schedule I controlled substance is a drug, substance, or chemical that has a high potential for abuse; has no currently accepted medical value; and is subject to regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal penalties under the Controlled Substances Act. Under the act, offenses involving fentanyl-related substances are triggered by the same quantity thresholds and subject to the same penalties as offenses involving fentanyl analogues (e.g., offenses involving 100 grams or more trigger a 10-year mandatory minimum prison term). Additionally, the act establishes a new, alternative registration process for certain schedule I research. The act also makes several other changes to registration requirements for conducting research with controlled substances, including permitting a single registration for related research sites in certain circumstances, waiving the requirement for a new inspection in certain situations, and allowing a registered researcher to perform certain manufacturing activities with small quantities of a substance without obtaining a manufacturing registration. Finally, the act expresses the sense that Congress agrees with the interpretation of the Controlled Substances Act in United States v. McCray , a 2018 case decided by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York. In that case, the court held that butyryl fentanyl, a controlled substance, can be considered an analogue of fentanyl even though, under the Controlled Substances Act, the term controlled substance analogue specifically excludes a controlled substance.

This bill amends U.S. immigration law to make fraud convictions deportable without requiring a specific fraud loss amount. It directly affects non-citizens (aliens) convicted of fraud against private individuals, businesses, or government entities, and naturalized U.S. citizens convicted of such fraud. Key provisions include adding fraud to the list of deportable offenses under Section 237(a)(2) and enabling courts to revoke citizenship and cancel naturalization certificates for naturalized citizens convicted of qualifying fraud offenses. The changes apply to fraud committed on or after September 30, 1996, that wasn’t already charged before the bill’s enactment.

HR 3081, the Law Enforcement Solidarity Act, restricts federal funding for jurisdictions that prohibit local law enforcement from cooperating with federal officers. Beginning 60 days after enactment, such jurisdictions become ineligible for federal funds intended to provide services like food, shelter, healthcare, legal aid, or transportation to undocumented immigrants. The bill defines a "jurisdiction with law enforcement cooperation restrictions" as any state or local government that blocks officials from assisting, aiding, or responding to federal law enforcement requests. This directly affects local governments with policies limiting collaboration with federal immigration enforcement. The law aims to link federal funding eligibility to cooperation with federal law enforcement on immigration matters.