A bipartisan bill stiffening the penalties against a person who kills a first responder is getting renewed attention in the U.S. House of Representatives.
U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, wrote a letter to Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging action on the “Thin Blue Line Act.” The bill passed the House in 2017 — with 48 Democrats in support — but since no action was taken in the Senate, it stalled.
The bill would make the murder or attempted murder of a police officer, firefighter, paramedic or other first responders an “aggravating” factor in death penalty determinations, according to a news release.