YourVoice.Now Summary
Criminal Justice & Due ProcessSupplying fentanyl that kills someone could count as first-degree murder — with death or life in prison.
Criminal Justice & Due Process
Federal murder law would add supplying fentanyl that causes a death to its list of first-degree murders, next to robbery and arson. It covers 2 grams of a fentanyl mix, or half a gram of a fentanyl copy drug, and no plan to kill is needed.
First-degree murder carries only two penalties: death or life in prison. The bill restates that for these cases, so a judge could not give a shorter term.
The person does not have to know for sure that the drug held fentanyl. It is enough that they had reason to know it did.
More about this bill
Supplying fentanyl that kills someone could be charged as first-degree murder under federal law. The only penalties would be death or life in prison. The rule covers 2 grams or more of a fentanyl mix. It also covers half a gram of a drug made to copy fentanyl. The person must know, or have reason to know, that the drug has fentanyl in it. No plan to kill would be needed. Deaths during a robbery or an arson are already treated this way. Most people would see no change in daily life. Today, this murder law sets its penalties only for areas under special federal control. The new penalty line is written on its own and does not repeat that limit. So how far it reaches is not clear from the text. The bill names no start date, so it would apply once signed. It has only been introduced so far, so nothing has changed yet.
Congressional Summary
Felony Murder for Deadly Fentanyl Distribution Act of 2025 This bill makes the distribution of fentanyl resulting in death a first-degree murder. An individual who is guilty of first-degree murder by distributing fentanyl is subject to death or life in prison.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Senate
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in Senate
- Action Date
- 2025-04-29
- Date Added
- 2026-10-02
- Source
- Congress.gov →
Like reading a bill in plain English?
We're building an app that does this for every bill in Congress and lets you tell your reps how you want them to vote. We're a small team getting ready to launch, and we're trying to show investors that real people want this. Be one of them. Help us get it built. Leave your email and we'll tell you the moment the app is ready.