H.R. 55 – Emmett Till Antilynching Act [Full Text]

A summary of the bill says that it “imposes criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to 30 years, or both—on an individual who conspires to commit a hate crime offense that results in death or serious bodily injury or that includes kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill.”

As there are already laws for kidnapping, sexual abuse, and murder and federal hate crime statutes, the need for this legislation is questionable.

It could be for revenue generation due to the fines included, but the Congressional Budget Office reviewed the bill and found that any revenue “would not be significant because few additional cases would probably be affected.”

Without a substantial reason for additional legislation covering already codified law, it appears to be little more than virtue-signaling ahead of the 2022 midterm elections in which Democrats expect wide losses.

Full Text of H.R. 55 – Emmett Till Antilynching Act

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 55 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        H.R.55

                    One Hundred Seventeenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

           Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday,
          the third day of January, two thousand and twenty-two


                                 An Act


 
    To amend section 249 of title 18, United States Code, to specify 
                      lynching as a hate crime act.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
    This Act may be cited as the ``Emmett Till Antilynching Act''.
SEC. 2. LYNCHING; OTHER CONSPIRACIES.
    Section 249(a) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by 
adding at the end the following:
        ``(5) Lynching.--Whoever conspires to commit any offense under 
    paragraph (1), (2), or (3) shall, if death or serious bodily injury 
    (as defined in section 2246 of this title) results from the 
    offense, be imprisoned for not more than 30 years, fined in 
    accordance with this title, or both.
        ``(6) Other conspiracies.--Whoever conspires to commit any 
    offense under paragraph (1), (2), or (3) shall, if death or serious 
    bodily injury (as defined in section 2246 of this title) results 
    from the offense, or if the offense includes kidnapping or an 
    attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse or an attempt to commit 
    aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, be imprisoned for 
    not more than 30 years, fined in accordance with this title, or 
    both.''.
SEC. 3. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.
    The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying 
with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by 
reference to the latest statement titled ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO 
Legislation'' for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional 
Record by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that 
such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.

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