Central Wisconsin News

Wisconsin Representative Tom Tiffany announced the introduction of the bipartisan Justice for Murder Victims Act, which seeks to eliminate the "year-and-a-day" loophole, ensuring that murderers can be prosecuted even after this period. Tiffany made his statement in a February 14 post on X.

"Justice should not come with an expiration date," said Rep. Tom Tiffany. "This week, I introduced the Justice for Murder Victims Act. This bipartisan, bicameral bill does away with the 'year-and-a-day' loophole, ensuring that murderers can be prosecuted after that time."

According to Tiffany and Representative Lucy McBath from Georgia, who co-introduced the bill, the Justice for Murder Victims Act aims to remove the "year-and-a-day" rule. This rule currently prevents prosecution for murder if the victim dies more than 366 days after an assault. The bipartisan bill proposes amending federal law to remove any time limit for prosecuting homicide cases based on the duration between the assault and the victim's death.

Rep. Tiffany's post | X

The bill suggests adding a new section, §1123, to Chapter 51 of Title 18 of the United States Code. This provision would allow homicide offenses to be prosecuted without any maximum time limit between the act causing death and the actual death of the victim, effectively removing the "year-and-a-day" rule.

Additionally, House.gov reports that an amendment will be made to update Chapter 51's table of contents to include §1123. This ensures that federal law does not impose time restrictions on prosecuting homicide offenses, even when a victim’s death occurs long after the initial act or omission.

Tiffany represents Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District and was elected in May 2020 during a special election. He grew up on a dairy farm near Elmwood, Wisconsin, and holds a degree in agricultural economics from the University of Wisconsin – River Falls. Before joining Congress, he served in both the Wisconsin State Assembly and State Senate with a focus on tax reduction, job creation, and protecting Second Amendment rights.