Line of Duty Act of 2013
A BILL
To protect prosecutors, judges, law enforcement officers, and their families.
Sec. 2 Protection for prosecutors and judges
“(18) to train and provide security details for prosecutors and judges, including their immediate families, involved in cases that raise substantial concerns of retaliation or intimidation through violent acts; and”
“(H) Prosecutorial and judicial security details and programs.”
Sec. 3 Justice for prosecutors, judges, law enforcement officers, and their families
“1123. Killing of federally funded prosecutors, judges, and law enforcement officers
“(a) Definitions—In this section—
“(1) the terms Federal law enforcement officer and United States judge have the meanings given those terms in section 115;
“(2) the term federally funded public safety officer means a public safety officer or judicial officer for a public agency that—
“(A) receives Federal financial assistance; and
“(B) is an agency of an entity that is a State of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or any territory or possession of the United States, an Indian tribe, or a unit of local government of that entity;
“(3) the term firefighter includes an individual serving as an official recognized or designated member of a legally organized volunteer fire department and an officially recognized or designated public employee member of a rescue squad or ambulance crew;
“(4) the term judicial officer means a judge or other officer or employee of a court, including prosecutors, court security, pretrial services officers, court reporters, and corrections, probation, and parole officers;
“(5) the term law enforcement officer means an individual, with arrest powers, involved in crime or juvenile delinquency control or reduction or enforcement of the laws;
“(6) the term public agency includes a court system, the National Guard of a State to the extent the personnel of that National Guard are not in Federal service, and the defense forces of a State authorized by section 109 of title 32; and
“(7) the term public safety officer means an individual serving a public agency in an official capacity, as a law enforcement officer, as a firefighter, as a chaplain, or as a member of a rescue squad or ambulance crew.
“(b) Offense—It shall be unlawful for any person to—
“(1) kill, or attempt or conspire to kill—
“(A) a United States judge;
“(B) a Federal law enforcement officer; or
“(C) a federally funded public safety officer while that officer is engaged in official duties, or on account of the performance of official duties; or
“(2) kill a former United States judge, Federal law enforcement officer, or federally funded public safety officer on account of the past performance of official duties.
“(c) Penalty—Any person that violates subsection (b) shall be fined under this title and imprisoned for any term of years not less than 30, or for life, or, if death results and the offender is prosecuted as a principal, may be sentenced to death.”
“1075. Flight to avoid prosecution for killing prosecutors, judges, and law enforcement officials
“(a) Offense—It shall be unlawful for any person to move or travel in interstate or foreign commerce with intent to avoid prosecution, or custody or confinement after conviction, under the laws of the place from which the person flees or under section 1114 or 1123, for a crime consisting of the killing, an attempted killing, or a conspiracy to kill a Federal judge or Federal law enforcement officer (as those terms are defined in section 115), or a federally funded public safety officer (as that term is defined in section 1123).
“(b) Penalty—Any person that violates subsection (a) shall be fined under this title and imprisoned for any term of years not less than 10, in addition to any other term of imprisonment for any other offense relating to the conduct described in subsection (a).”
“(17) Killing of a prosecutor, judge, law enforcement officer, or first responder—The defendant killed or attempted to kill a person who is authorized by law—
“(A) to engage in or supervise the prevention, detention, or investigation of any criminal violation of law;
“(B) to arrest, prosecute, or adjudicate an individual for any criminal violation of law; or
“(C) to be a firefighter or other first responder.”
“(j)
“(1) For an application for a writ of habeas corpus on behalf of a person in custody pursuant to the judgment of a State court for a crime that involved the killing of a public safety officer (as that term is defined in section 1204 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796b)) or judge, while the public safety officer or judge was engaged in the performance of official duties, or on account of the performance of official duties by or status as a public safety officer or judge of the public safety officer or judge—
“(A) the application shall be subject to the time limitations and other requirements under sections 2263, 2264, and 2266; and
“(B) the court shall not consider claims relating to sentencing that were adjudicated in a State court.
“(2) Sections 2251, 2262, and 2101 are the exclusive sources of authority for Federal courts to stay a sentence of death entered by a State court in a case described in paragraph (1).”
“111. Assaulting or interfering with certain officers or employees
“(a) Officers and employees
“(1) In general—It shall be unlawful for any person to—
“(A) assault or interfere with an officer or employee described in section 1114, while such officer or employee is engaged in, or on account of the performance of, official duties;
“(B) assault or interfere with an individual who formerly served as an officer or employee described in section 1114 on account of the performance of official duties; or
“(C) assault or interfere with an individual on account of the current or former status of the individual as an officer or employee described in section 1114.
“(2) Penalty—Any person who violates paragraph (1), shall be—
“(A) fined under this title;
“(B)
“(i) in the case of an interference or a simple assault, imprisoned for not more than 1 year;
“(ii) in the case of an assault involving actual physical contact or the intent to commit any other felony, imprisoned for not more than 10 years;
“(iii) in the case of an assault resulting in bodily injury, imprisoned for not more than 20 years; or
“(iv) in the case of an assault resulting in substantial bodily injury (as that term is defined in section 113), or if a dangerous weapon was used or possessed during and in relation to the offense (including a weapon intended to cause death or danger but that fails to do so by reason of a defective component), imprisoned for not more than 30 years; or
“(C) fined under subparagraph (A) and imprisoned under subparagraph (B).
“(b) Law enforcement officers and judges
“(1) In general
“(A) Substantial bodily injury—If the victim of an assault punishable under this section is a Federal law enforcement officer or a United States judge (as those terms are defined in section 115) and the assault resulted in substantial bodily injury (as that term is defined in section 113), the offender shall be punished by a fine under this title and imprisonment for not less 5 years nor more than 30 years.
“(B) Serious bodily injury—If the victim of an assault punishable under this section is a Federal law enforcement officer or a United States judge (as those terms are defined in section 115) and the assault resulted in serious bodily injury (as that term is defined in section 2119(2)), or a dangerous weapon was used or possessed during and in relation to the offense, the offender shall be punished by a fine under this title and imprisonment for any term of years not less than 10 or for life.
“(2) Imposition of punishment—Each punishment for criminal conduct described in this subsection shall be in addition to any other punishment for other criminal conduct during the same criminal episode.”
“(c)
“(1) If an offense punishable under this section is committed with the intent to impede, intimidate, or interfere with a Federal law enforcement officer or a United States judge while that officer or judge is engaged in the performance of official duties, with the intent to retaliate against that officer or judge or a person who formerly served as such an officer or judge on account of the performance of official duties, or with the intent to retaliate against an individual on account of the current or former status of the individual as such an officer or judge, the offender shall be punished—
“(A) in the case of murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to murder, or manslaughter, as provided in section 1114(1);
“(B) in the case of kidnapping, attempted kidnapping, or conspiracy to kidnap, as provided in section 1201(a);
“(C) in the case of an assault resulting in bodily injury or involving the use or possession of a dangerous weapon during and in relation to the offense, as provided for a comparable offense against a Federal law enforcement officer or United States judge under section 111; and
“(D) in the case of any other assault or threat, by a fine under this title and imprisonment for not more than 10 years.
“(2) Each punishment for criminal conduct described in this subsection shall be in addition to any other punishment for other criminal conduct during the same criminal episode.”
Sec. 4 Self-defense rights for prosecutors, judges, and law enforcement officers
“3054. Authority of judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement officers to carry firearms
“Subject to such regulations as the Attorney General shall prescribe regarding training and proficiency in the use of firearms, any officer, agent, or employee of the United States, a State, or a political subdivision thereof, who is authorized by law to engage in or supervise the prevention, detection, investigation, prosecution, or adjudication of any violation of law may carry firearms. Such authority to carry firearms shall extend, but not be limited to presence within any building or structure classified as a Federal facility or Federal court facility, as those terms are defined under section 930, and any grounds appurtenant to such a facility, where such possession is otherwise authorized by law and incident to the lawful performance of the official duties of that person.”
Sec. 5 Limitation on damages incurred during commission of a felony or crime of violence
“(1) in any action brought against a judicial officer for an act or omission taken in the judicial capacity of that officer, injunctive relief shall not be granted unless a declaratory decree was violated or declaratory relief was unavailable; and
“(2) in any action seeking redress for any deprivation that was incurred in the course of, or as a result of, or is related to, conduct by the injured party that, more likely than not, constituted a felony or a crime of violence (as that term is defined in section 16 of title 18, United States Code) (including any deprivation in the course of arrest or apprehension for, or the investigation, prosecution, or adjudication of, such an offense), a court may not award damages other than for necessary out-of-pocket expenditures and other monetary loss.”
“(1) in any action brought against a judicial officer for an act or omission taken in the judicial capacity of that officer, such officer shall not be held liable for any costs, including attorneys fees, unless such action was clearly in excess of the jurisdiction of that officer; and
“(2) in any action seeking redress for any deprivation that was incurred in the course of, or as a result of, or is related to, conduct by the injured party that, more likely than not, constituted a felony or a crime of violence (as that term is defined in section 16 of title 18, United States Code) (including any deprivation in the course of arrest or apprehension for, or the investigation, prosecution, or adjudication of, such an offense), the court may not allow such party to recover attorney's fees.”
Sec. 6 Self-defense rights for Federal correctional workers
“4049. Secure firearms storage for Federal correctional workers
“The Director of the Bureau of Prisons shall ensure that each Federal penal or correctional institution provides a secure firearms storage area for use by all persons employed by the Bureau of Prisons at the institution who are authorized to carry a firearm, or allow such persons to store firearms in a vehicle lockbox approved by the Director.”