Crapo, Grassley and Republican Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Bolster Violent Crime Laws

Washington, D.C.--U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) joined Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and nine Republican colleagues in introducing legislation to strengthen violent crime statutes and help prevent future crime.  The Combating Violent and Dangerous Crime Act would clarify and strengthen penalties for violent offenses like carjacking, robbery and kidnapping. 

“Our legal system has a duty to punish the guilty and protect the innocent, and conflicting legal standards hamper the ability of federal authorities to do so,” Crapo said.  “These necessary reforms clarify and strengthen federal drug and violent crime laws to ensure justice is applied fairly to all.”

“Under the Biden-Harris Administration, our nation saw a massive spike in violent crime.  As the Trump Administration works to clean up the previous Administration’s mess, Congress has a duty to resolve any legal ambiguities that may weaken our ability to hold criminals fully accountable,” Grassley said.  “Our bill includes several modest, but meaningful, reforms to tamp down on future crime and ensure justice is served.”

The Combating Violent and Dangerous Crime Act would address ambiguity and conflicting applications of existing law by clarifying congressional intent.  Among other provisions, the bill would: 

• Resolve conflicting circuit court decisions that have resulted in a higher burden to charge violent offenses;
  
  
• Clarify that an attempt or conspiracy to commit an offense involving physical force meets the legal definition of a violent crime; 
  
  
• Increase the statutory maximum penalty for carjacking and remove a duplicative intent requirement needed to charge a carjacking offense;
  
  
• Clarify that attempted bank robbery and conspiracy to commit bank robbery are punishable under the current bank robbery statute; 
  
  
• Outlaw the marketing of candy-flavored drugs to minors; and 
  
  
• Establish a new category of violent kidnapping offenses, allowing for greater penalties for violent kidnapping.

Crapo and Grassley are joined by Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), John Boozman (R-Arkansas), Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota), Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), James Lankford (R-Oklahoma), Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia) and Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina).

Read the full bill text here. Read a section-by-section here.

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