United StatesChildren under 18 would face murder liability only in specified cases
For crimes committed before age 18, murder liability would require intentionally or knowingly causing a death, or intending to kill and helping the actual killer.
What it does
For a listed crime committed before age 18 that results in a death, murder liability would require proof the person caused the death intentionally or knowingly, or intended to kill and helped the actual killer.
Federal juvenile-transfer rules in the text refer to age 16, and list a young person's background, rehabilitation potential, best interests, and role in the offense as factors for transfer decisions.
The Secretary may award joint grants to state child-welfare and juvenile-justice agencies to coordinate support for children facing age-based court exclusions, exploitation, or involvement in both systems. Awards depend on an approved application and available funds.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics would publish yearly reviews of federal cases involving children and people imprisoned for crimes committed as children, including demographic, case, location, and sentence information.
Argument forJoint grants could help state agencies coordinate services for children who move between child-welfare and juvenile-justice systems, if applications are approved and funds are available.
Argument againstCollecting detailed demographic and case information about children could raise privacy concerns, even though the text lists personal data as part of the reviews.
More detail
A person under 18 would be liable for murder only under one of two stated forms of responsibility. This applies to a listed crime committed or attempted before the person turned 18 when a human being dies. The person must have intentionally or knowingly caused the death, or, with intent to kill, helped the actual killer in the unlawful killing. A person who does not meet either test would be sentenced for the crime they committed or attempted, not for murder.
The text names age 16 in federal juvenile-transfer rules and lists factors for transfer decisions. These rules concern juveniles whose cases are considered for transfer to federal district court for adult criminal prosecution. The listed factors include the child's background and exposure to trauma or child-welfare involvement, rehabilitation potential and best interests, and level of participation in the offense.
The Secretary may award competitive grants to state child-welfare and juvenile-justice agencies working together. Grants may support coordination for children outside juvenile court because of age, survivors of commercial sexual exploitation, and children involved in both child-welfare and juvenile-justice systems. The two agencies must apply together, and the Secretary must approve the application. Grant money must come from amounts available under the cited child-welfare law; the text does not set aside separate funding. Grants must add to, not replace, other state spending on eligible children. Grants would last 2 to 5 fiscal years. The Secretary may extend a grant by up to 2 more years if the recipient applies.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics would publish yearly reviews of federal cases involving children and people imprisoned for crimes committed as children. The reviews would cover children under 18 handled by the federal government and people in federal custody for crimes they committed as children. The listed information includes demographic, case, distance-from-home, and sentence data. The first review would be due no later than one year after enactment, with information for each calendar year.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To President
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Oct 29Introduced in HouseLatest
- Oct 29Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.Introduced
Criminal JusticeGovernment & EthicsNational Security