New federal felony for road blockades—5 years in prison for protest tactic
H.R. 4015 — Safe and Open Streets Act · Filed by David Rouzer (R-NC) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Jun 13, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill amends federal law to create a new federal crime: blocking a public road or highway in a way that interferes with commerce. The penalty is up to 5 years in prison and/or a fine. The bill broadens the existing federal extortion statute (18 U.S.C. § 1951) to include road blockades as a form of commerce interference, whereas the current law focuses on threats or violence.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is the insertion of a new federal crime into the extortion statute. It is not a deregulation, subsidy, or carve-out; it is a straightforward expansion of federal criminal liability. The title 'Safe and Open Streets Act' frames the expansion as a public-safety measure, but the mechanism is purely criminal-law expansion.
What the text implies
- Road blockades, a primary tactic of protest movements (civil rights, climate, labor, anti-war), now carry federal felony exposure (5 years) in addition to state charges, creating a chilling effect on disruptive protest.
- The bill amends the definition of 'interference with commerce' to include any blockade affecting 'any article or commodity in commerce,' which is extremely broad and could capture even small-scale or localized blockades.
- Conforming amendments strike 'by threats or violence' from the section heading and related cross-references, suggesting the new crime does NOT require threats or violence—pure obstruction suffices.
- Federal prosecution of road blockades may disproportionately affect marginalized communities and protest movements, as federal prosecutors have discretion to charge and federal penalties are severe.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill creates a new federal felony for road blockades, which are a common protest tactic. Citizens engaged in civil disobedience or protest now face up to 5 years in federal prison, a significant escalation from state-level enforcement. This restricts a form of political expression and assembly, particularly affecting marginalized groups who rely on disruptive protest as a lever for visibility and change.
Named in the bill
18 U.S.C. § 1951, 18 U.S.C. § 1961, 18 U.S.C. § 2516, 5 U.S.C. § 8332, Chapter 95, Title 18 (Racketeering)
Where it stands
1 cosponsor: 1 Republicans.
- Jun 13, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jun 13, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,512 characters) on Jun 8, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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