YourVoice.Now Summary
Criminal Justice & Due ProcessGun LawsLowers what prosecutors must prove for federal carjacking — intent to kill or badly hurt would no longer be required.
Criminal Justice & Due Process
Today prosecutors must prove the person meant to kill or badly hurt someone. This bill would require only that they knowingly took the vehicle by force, violence, or threats.
Gun Laws
Showing or firing a gun during a carjacking would open a higher penalty tier. If a victim is seriously hurt, the prison term could reach 25 years.
More about this bill
Federal prosecutors could charge more carjackings. Today they must prove the person meant to kill or badly hurt someone. This bill would drop that test. They would only need to show the person knowingly took the car by force, violence, or threats. A 25-year maximum would still apply when a victim is seriously hurt. That tier would newly cover cases where the person showed or fired a gun, without proof of intent to harm. The top penalty, for cases where someone dies, would still require proof of intent to kill or badly hurt someone. The bill is not law. A Senate committee sent it to the full Senate in May 2026.
Congressional Summary
Federal Carjacking Enforcement Act This bill lowers the threshold the government must meet to establish that a defendant committed a federal carjacking offense. Under current law, the federal carjacking statute prohibits taking (or attempting to take) a motor vehicle from the presence of another by force and violence or intimidation, with the intent to cause death or serious bodily harm. This bill removes the requirement that a defendant take (or attempt to take) a motor vehicle with the specific intent to cause death or serious bodily harm. Under the bill, the government need only prove that a defendant took (or attempted to take) a motor vehicle knowingly. A violation (or attempted violation) is subject to the same criminal penalties as under current law—a fine, a prison term of up to 15 years, or both. A violation that results in death or serious bodily injury is subject to the same criminal penalties as under current law—a fine, a prison term of up to 25 years, or both—but only if the offense involves certain aggravating circumstances: (1) the motor vehicle is taken with the intent to cause death or serious bodily harm, or (2) a firearm is brandished or discharged during the offense.
Legislative Subjects
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Senate
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Reported to Senate
- Action Date
- 2026-05-11
- Date Added
- 2026-07-02
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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