Bill > S38

This bill, known as the Preserving Safe Communities by Ending Swatting Act of 2025, significantly expands legal penalties for making false communications that trigger emergency responses. The legislation specifically targets "swatting" - a dangerous harassment tactic where someone makes a false report to emergency services to provoke a large-scale law enforcement response. Under the new provisions, individuals who intentionally spread false or misleading information that could reasonably cause an emergency response would face serious criminal penalties, including fines and imprisonment up to 5 years for standard cases. If the false communication results in serious bodily injury, the penalty increases to up to 20 years in prison, and if a death occurs, the perpetrator could face life imprisonment. The bill also establishes a civil action provision allowing victims to recover expenses related to emergency responses. The legislation broadly defines "emergency response" to include deployments of personnel, evacuation orders, public warnings, and responses by both government agencies and certain private organizations with public safety functions. By creating more severe consequences, the bill aims to deter the dangerous practice of swatting and protect public safety.

Justice

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/38/all-info