WASHINGTON, D.C. — Idaho Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch have joined Senator John Cornyn of Texas and more than 30 Republican colleagues in introducing the Back the Blue Act, a federal proposal that would impose tougher penalties on those who target law enforcement officers and expand protections for officers nationwide.

Crapo said the bill reinforces the nation’s commitment to officers who “put their lives on the line each day,” noting that individuals who harm or attempt to harm law enforcement or judges should face swift consequences. Risch added that violence against officers is unacceptable and that the legislation strengthens law and order while supporting those who keep communities safe.

The act creates new federal crimes for killing, attempting to kill or conspiring to kill a federal judge, federal law enforcement officer or a federally funded public safety officer, carrying penalties that include the possibility of the death penalty or lengthy mandatory minimum sentences. It also establishes new federal offenses for assaulting federally funded law enforcement officers, interstate flight to avoid prosecution for attacks on officers, and clarifies that murder or attempted murder of an officer is a statutory aggravating factor in federal death penalty cases. The proposal further limits federal habeas review in cases involving the murder of public-safety officers, restricts certain civil damage claims by individuals injured while committing felonies and expands the ability of law enforcement officers to carry firearms in federal facilities and other restricted jurisdictions.

The legislation has received support from major national law-enforcement organizations, including the Fraternal Order of Police, National Association of Police Organizations, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association and Major County Sheriffs of America, among others.