Drug Kingpin Act of 1987

openUnited States· United States Congress· EN

Introduced

11 February 1987

Last action

18 November 1988 · Committee

Status

See H.R.5210.

Summary

Drug Kingpin Act of 1987 - Amends the Controlled Substances Act to establish criteria for the imposition of the death penalty where, as a result of a continuing criminal enterprise, an individual (other than a participant in such conduct) dies. Requires the Government, for such offense, to serve notice upon the defendant a reasonable time before trial or acceptance of a plea, disclosing that it intends to seek the death penalty and the aggravating factors upon which it will rely. Requires a separate sentencing hearing before a jury, or the court upon motion by the defendant, when the defendant is found guilty or pleads guilty to such offense. Allows the defendant and the Government to present any information relevant to sentencing, without regard to the rules of evidence, but permits information to be excluded where its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice, confusion of the issues, or misleading of the jury. Directs the court, or the jury by unanimous vote, to impose the death penalty upon finding that such sentence is justified based on consideration of both aggravating and mitigating factors. Sets forth some mitigating factors to be considered by the jury or the court when imposing its sentence. Includes as aggravating factors to be considered by the jury or the court: (1) the intentional nature of the act which resulted in the victim's death; (2) previous convictions for offenses for which life imprisonment or death is authorized; (3) the especially heinous, cruel, or depraved nature of the offense; (4) the defendant committed such offense in consideration for pay; and (5) the offense was committed against a judge, a law enforcement officer, or an employee of a penal of correctional institution. Requires the court to instruct the jury not to consider the race, color, national origin, creed, or sex of the defendant in its consideration of the sentence. Allows the court to impose a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for such offenses when the death penalty is not imposed. Establishes procedures for appeal from a death sentence. Requires the Court of Appeals, upon consideration of the record and the information and procedures of the sentencing hearing, to affirm the decision if: (1) the sentence was not imposed under the influence of passion, prejudice, or arbitrariness; and (2) the information supports the finding of aggravating factors or the absence of mitigating factors. Requires the court to provide a written explanation of its determination.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

11 February 1987
Introduced
Introduced in House
Source: IntroReferral
11 February 1987
Introduced
Introduced in House
Source: IntroReferral
11 February 1987
Introduced
Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Source: IntroReferral
18 February 1987
Referred
Referred to Subcommittee on Criminal Justice.
Source: Committee
25 February 1987
Referred
Referred to Subcommittee on Health and the Environment.
Source: Committee
23 June 1988
Discharge
Motion to Discharge Committee Filed by Gekas. Discharge Petition No: 05.
Source: Discharge
18 November 1988
Committee
See H.R.5210.
Source: Committee

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

No version snapshots stored. Document URLs remain at the source.

Documents

1 official file

Introduced in House
summary · EN · 11 February 1987
Open at official source

Related records

related to ← Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988

Sources

PoliticalRepo is an index and interpretation layer, not the authoritative legal source.

Official source: https://www.congress.gov/bill/100th-congress/house-bill/1095
Open data entity: https://api.congress.gov/v3/bill/100/hr/1095
us · 100-hr-1095 · source updated 3 June 2026