Federal Death Penalty Abolition Act
US bill
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| Long title | To abolish the death penalty under Federal law. |
|---|---|
| Legislative history | |
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The Federal Death Penalty Abolition Act is a proposed United States law that would abolish the death penalty for all federal crimes and all military crimes. If enacted, this act would mark the first time since 1988 where no federal crimes carry a sentence of death.
This bill would repeal capital punishment on the federal level but would not affect the possibility for states to provide for it in state law.
History
Since the enactment of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, the death penalty has been a legal punishment for United States federal crimes in the post Furman era. Since then, the federal government has executed sixteen individuals, with thirteen of those executions occurring between July 2020 and January 2021.[1]
Motivation for the introduction and support for the passage and enactment of this bill have been influenced by the criminal justice reform movement, the George Floyd protests, and the thirteen people executed during the Trump administration between July 2020 and January 2021, among other things. President Joe Biden’s campaign website has stated that Biden supports abolishing the death penalty on the federal level and to incentivize states to also abolish the death penalty for crimes within their jurisdiction.[2] Biden is the first president to openly oppose the death penalty.[3]
Bills to abolish the federal death penalty have been introduced in each Congress since 1999, but no legislation has passed.
Provisions
The bill proposes the removal of all references to capital punishment as it pertains to federal crimes and sentencing law, abolishing the ability for the United States to impose a sentence of death in the process.[4]
Legislative history
As of May 15, 2022:
| Congress | Short title | Bill number(s) | Date introduced | Sponsor(s) | # of cosponsors | Latest status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 106th Congress | Federal Death Penalty Abolition Act of 1999 | S. 1917 | November 10, 1999 | Russell Feingold (D-WI) | 1 | Died in Committee. |
| 107th congress | Federal Death Penalty Abolition Act of 2001 | S. 191 | January 25, 2001 | Russell Feingold (D-WI) | 1 | Died in Committee. |
| 108th Congress | Federal Death Penalty Abolition Act of 2003 | H.R. 2574 | June 24, 2003 | Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) | 46 | Died in Committee. |
| Federal Death Penalty Abolition Act of 2003 | S. 402 | February 13, 2003 | Russell Feingold (D-WI) | 0 | Died in Committee. | |
| 109th Congress | Federal Death Penalty Abolition Act | H.R. 4923 | March 9, 2006 | Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) | 45 | Died in Committee. |
| Federal Death Penalty Abolition Act of 2005 | S. 122 | January 24, 2005 | Russell Feingold (D-WI) | 0 | Died in Committee. | |
| 110th Congress | Federal Death Penalty Abolition Act of 2008 | H.R. 6875 | September 11, 2008 | Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) | 19 | Died in Committee. |
| Federal Death Penalty Abolition Act of 2007 | S. 447 | January 31, 2007 | Russell Feingold (D-WI) | 0 | Died in Committee. | |
| 111th Congress | Federal Death Penalty Abolition Act of 2009 | S. 650 | March 19, 2009 | Russell Feingold (D-WI) | 0 | Died in Committee. |
| 112th Congress | Federal Death Penalty Abolition Act of 2011 | H.R. 3051 | September 23, 2011 | Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) | 15 | Died in Committee. |
| 113th Congress | Federal Death Penalty Abolition Act of 2013 | H.R. 3741 | December 12, 2013 | Donna Edwards (D-MD) | 13 | Died in Committee. |
| 116th Congress | Federal Death Penalty Abolition Act of 2019 | H.R. 4022 | July 25, 2019 | Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) | 67 | Died in Committee. |
| 117th Congress | Federal Death Penalty Abolition Act of 2021 | H.R. 97 | January 4, 2021 | Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) | 85 | Died in Committee. |
| Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act | H.R. 262 | January 11, 2021 | Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) | 79 | Died in Committee. | |
| Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act | S. 582 | March 3, 2021 | Richard Durbin (D-IL) | 20 | Died in Committee. | |
| 118th Congress | Federal Death Penalty Abolition Act of 2023 | H.R. 1124 | February 21, 2023 | Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) | 24 | Referred to Committees of Jurisdiction |
See also
- Capital punishment in the United States
- Capital punishment by country
- Crimes Act of 1790
- Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution
- Furman v. Georgia
- Gregg v. Georgia
- Wrongful execution
References
- ^ "Executions Under the Federal Death Penalty". Death Penalty Information Center. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
- ^ "THE BIDEN PLAN FOR STRENGTHENING AMERICA'S COMMITMENT TO JUSTICE". Democratic National Committee. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ^ "Civil rights groups are pushing Biden to fulfill promise of ending the death penalty". CNBC. February 17, 2021. Archived from the original on March 25, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ^ "H.R.97 - Federal Death Penalty Abolition Act of 2021". March 2021. Archived from the original on March 30, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
