United States 119th Congress Status: In Committee 11 R cosponsors

S 1502 — Felony Murder for Deadly Fentanyl Distribution Act of 2025

Last action — Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced April 29, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Prognosis

Stalled 26% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 11 sponsors

    1 primary, 10 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (11 R).

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

Felony Murder for Deadly Fentanyl Distribution Act of 2025This bill makes the distribution of fentanyl resulting in death a first-degree murder.An individual who is guilty of first-degree murder by distributing fentanyl is subject to death or life in prison.

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

8 changes Share ↗

Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill classifies the distribution of fentanyl resulting in death as felony murder and establishes specific penalties for such actions.

  • 18 U.S.C. § 1111

    Within → (1) Within

    Renumbers subsection (b) to clarify the beginning of a new paragraph.

  • 18 U.S.C. § 1111

    (2) Whoever is guilty of murder in the first degree by distributing fentanyl shall be punished by death or by imprisonment for life.

    Establishes a penalty for first-degree murder resulting from the distribution of fentanyl.

  • 18 U.S.C. § 1111

    (4) the terms `controlled substance' and `distribute' have the meanings given the terms in section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802);

    Defines the terms 'controlled substance' and 'distribute' in the context of fentanyl distribution.

  • 18 U.S.C. § 1111

    (5) `distributing fentanyl' means to distribute a controlled substance--

    Introduces a definition for 'distributing fentanyl' specifying the amounts and conditions under which it results in murder.

  • 18 U.S.C. § 1111

    (A) involving 2 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of N-phenyl-N-[1-(2-phenylethyl)-4-piperidinyl] propanamide or .5 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of any analogue of N-phenyl-N-[1-(2-phenylethyl)-4-piperidinyl] propanamide;

    Specifies the quantities of fentanyl or its analogues that qualify for this definition.

  • 18 U.S.C. § 1111

    (B) that results in death from the use of a mixture or substance described in subparagraph (A);

    Clarifies that distribution must result in death to meet the criteria for felony murder.

  • 18 U.S.C. § 1111

    (C) knowing or having reason to know that the controlled substance contains a detectable amount of a mixture or substance described in subparagraph (A).

    Adds a requirement regarding the distributor's knowledge of the substance they are distributing.

  • 18 U.S.C. § 1111

    designated as paragraphs (6) through (8), respectively;

    Renumbers subsequent definitions to accommodate the newly added definitions.

Action History

  1. Introduced in Senate

  2. Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 10 co-sponsors · 536 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (10)

Not signed on (536)

536 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 536 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

public-safety health-insurance
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does S 1502 do?
Felony Murder for Deadly Fentanyl Distribution Act of 2025This bill makes the distribution of fentanyl resulting in death a first-degree murder.An individual who is guilty of first-degree murder by distributing fentanyl is subject to death or life in prison.
Who sponsors S 1502?
S 1502 is sponsored by Ernst, Joni (Republican), Budd, Ted (Republican), Britt, Katie Boyd (Republican), Cruz, Ted (Republican), Lankford, James (Republican), Scott, Rick (Republican), Hyde-Smith, Cindy (Republican), Hagerty, Bill (Republican), Ricketts, Pete (Republican), Daines, Steve (Republican), and Justice, James C. (Republican).
What is the current status of S 1502?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced April 29, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track S 1502?
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Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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