Support Peaceful Protest Act

Support Peaceful Protest Act

This bill requires an individual who is convicted of a federal offense related to the individual's conduct (e.g., rioting) during the course of a public gathering to pay the cost of federal policing activity during the public gathering. In addition, such an individual is ineligible for pandemic unemployment assistance.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4553 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4553

    To hold individuals convicted of Federal offenses during public 
   gatherings resulting in riots financially liable for the cost of 
               Federal policing, and for other purposes.


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                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 9, 2020

  Mr. Cotton (for himself and Mrs. Loeffler) introduced the following 
    bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the 
                               Judiciary

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                                 A BILL


 
    To hold individuals convicted of Federal offenses during public 
   gatherings resulting in riots financially liable for the cost of 
               Federal policing, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Support Peaceful Protest Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITION.

    In this Act, the term ``covered Federal offense'', with respect to 
an individual, means a Federal offense related to the conduct of the 
individual at and during the course of a public gathering--
            (1) in connection with which a riot (as defined in section 
        2102 of title 18, United States Code) occurs; and
            (2) with respect to which a Federal law enforcement officer 
        was engaged in policing activity.

SEC. 3. ORDER OF RESTITUTION.

    In the case of an individual convicted of a covered Federal 
offense, the court shall, in addition to the penalty for such 
conviction, order the individual to pay an order of restitution to the 
appropriate Federal law enforcement agency in an amount that is equal 
to the cost of the policing activity engaged in by the Federal law 
enforcement agency, as determined by the court.

SEC. 4. INELIGIBILITY FOR FEDERALLY FUNDED UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS.

    In the case of an individual convicted of a covered Federal 
offense, following the date of such conviction, such individual shall 
not be eligible for any unemployment benefits which are financed in 
whole or in part with Federal funds during the COVID-19 public health 
emergency (as such term is defined in section 2102 of the CARES Act (15 
U.S.C. 9021)), including any Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation 
under section 2104 of the CARES Act (15 U.S.C. 9023).
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