Jaime Zapata and Victor Avila Federal Officers and Employees Protection Act
Public Law 117-59 · S. 921 · 117th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Joe Biden (D) on Nov 18, 2021 · Crime and Law Enforcement
Sponsor: Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)
Cosponsors (15): Sen. Christopher Coons, Sen. Chuck Grassley,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
This bill explicitly grants extraterritorial jurisdiction over the following criminal offenses:
• killing (or attempting to kill) a federal officer or employee;
• assaulting, kidnapping, or murdering (or threatening to do so, or attempting to kidnap or murder) a family member of certain federal officials to retaliate against or to impede, intimidate, or interfere with the federal official;
• threatening to assault, kidnap, or murder certain federal officials to retaliate against or to impede, intimidate, or interfere with the federal official; and
• assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees.
The United States may prosecute such conduct that occurs outside the United States.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 2137Identical bill
Jaime Zapata and Victor Avila Federal Law Enforcement Protection Act
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 17 actions.
- Nov 18, 2021Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 117-59.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Nov 9, 2021FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Oct 27, 2021FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 921.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Ms. Jackson Lee moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Jun 1, 2021FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
- FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- May 28, 2021FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- May 20, 2021CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 61.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Durbin with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
- May 13, 2021CommitteeCommittee · Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- Mar 23, 2021CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.