Federal Carjacking Enforcement Act
Latest action. Placed on Senate legislative calendarThe list of measures reported out of committee and eligible for floor action. Being on the calendar is not a promise of a vote.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) under General Orders. Calendar No. 404.
Federal Carjacking Enforcement Act
This bill lowers the threshold the government must meet to establish that a defendant committed a federal carjacking offense.
Under current law, the federal carjacking statute prohibits taking (or attempting to take) a motor vehicle from the presence of another by force and violence or intimidation, with the intent to cause death or serious bodily harm.
This bill removes the requirement that a defendant take (or attempt to take) a motor vehicle with the specific intent to cause death or serious bodily harm. Under the bill, the government need only prove that a defendant took (or attempted to take) a motor vehicle knowingly. A violation (or attempted violation) is subject to the same criminal penalties as under current law—a fine, a prison term of up to 15 years, or both.
A violation that results in death or serious bodily injury is subject to the same criminal penalties as under current law—a fine, a prison term of up to 25 years, or both—but only if the offense involves certain aggravating circumstances: (1) the motor vehicle is taken with the intent to cause death or serious bodily harm, or (2) a firearm is brandished or discharged during the offense.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Reported to Senate" stage on May 11, 2026. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on May 11, 2026: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 404.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 118th Congress (2023-24), 274 of the 16,565 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 1.7 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced it on May 1, 2025, and 16 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 5 Democrats, 11 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on May 1, 2025, 497 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 122 days ago, on May 11, 2026.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 119th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2027 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers