SWAT Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5590 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5590

    To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide penalties for 
               communicating threats that target schools.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 26, 2025

 Mr. Lawler (for himself and Mr. Bacon) introduced the following bill; 
          which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide penalties for 
               communicating threats that target schools.

    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 ``Schools Want Accountability for 
Threats Act'' or the ``SWAT Act''.

SEC. 2. THREATS INVOLVING FIRE OR EXPLOSIVES.

    Section 844(e) of title 18, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking ``(e)'' and inserting ``(e)(1)''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(2) Whoever violates paragraph (1) by making a threat against, or 
maliciously conveying false information with respect to, a public, 
private, or religious school that provides early childhood, elementary, 
secondary, postsecondary, or career and technical education, as 
determined under State law, shall be imprisoned for not more than 20 
years or fined under this title, or both.''.

SEC. 3. THREATS THROUGH THE MAIL OR INTERSTATE COMMUNICATIONS.

    Chapter 41 of title 18, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in section 875 by adding at the end the following:
    ``(e) Whoever violates any other provision of this section by 
making a threat against a public, private, or religious school that 
provides early childhood, elementary, secondary, postsecondary, or 
career and technical education, as determined under State law, shall be 
imprisoned for not more than 20 years or fined under this title, or 
both.''; and
            (2) in section 876 by adding at the end the following:
    ``(e) Whoever violates any other provision of this section by 
making a threat against a public, private, or religious school that 
provides early childhood, elementary, secondary, postsecondary, or 
career and technical education, as determined under State law, shall be 
imprisoned for not more than 20 years or fined under this title, or 
both.''.

SEC. 4. FALSE INFORMATION AND HOAXES.

    Section 1038(a)(1) of title 18, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (B) by striking ``and'';
            (2) in subparagraph (C) by striking the period and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(D) if the information indicates that the 
                activity has taken, is taking, or will take place in a 
                public, private, or religious school that provides 
                early childhood, elementary, secondary, postsecondary, 
                or career and technical education, as determined under 
                State law, be fined under this title or imprisoned not 
                more than 20 years, or both.''.
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