Bill · S. 5058· Senate(119-S-5058)
Staged Accident Fraud Prevention Act of 2026
- Introduced
- 7/21/2026
- Last activity
- 7/21/2026 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Sponsored by
- Ashley Moody
- Cosponsors
- - 1 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill is known as the Staged Accident Fraud Prevention Act of 2026. It aims to make staging crashes with commercial motor vehicles illegal under federal law. Anyone who intentionally causes a collision with a commercial vehicle can face heavy fines and imprisonment for not more than 20 years. If the staged crash causes serious bodily injury or death, the penalty increases to imprisonment for not less than 20 years. The bill also penalizes anyone who arranges for another person to stage these collisions. Finally, it stops a person from being prosecuted under this federal law if they were already convicted or acquitted for the same act under state, district, or territorial laws.
Yes· 3 of 4
Would business owners be better off under this?+4
The bill provides protection for those operating commercial motor vehicles against fraudulent collisions.
Does this make it easier to run a small business?+3
The bill protects commercial motor vehicle operators from the financial and legal risks of staged accidents.
Would people in cities be better off under this?+2
The bill may improve road safety for residents by deterring intentional collisions involving commercial vehicles.
The opposite
Does this shorten or soften prison sentences?-2
The bill implements much harsher mandatory minimum sentences for specific criminal acts.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Protection Against Fraud: Section 2(a) adds Sec. 80505(a), which sets fines and up to 20 years in prison for anyone who intentionally causes a crash with a commercial motor vehicle. This is positive because it holds bad actors accountable and targets dangerous fraud schemes on our roads.
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Stricter Penalties for Injuries: Section 2(a) adds Sec. 80505(b), which punishes people with imprisonment for not less than 20 years if a staged crash results in serious bodily injury or death. This helps protect the public by severely punishing reckless actions that hurt or kill people.
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Targeting Organizers: Section 2(a) adds Sec. 80505(c), which applies fines and imprisonment to any person who arranges for someone else to stage a collision. This ensures that the masterminds behind these dangerous setups face justice, not just the drivers.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Double Jeopardy Protection Limits: Section 2(a) adds Sec. 80505(d), which states that a person cannot be prosecuted under this federal law if they were already convicted or acquitted on the merits for the same act under state, district, or territorial laws. While this prevents a person from being tried twice for the exact same crime in different courts, it means the text provides no potential negative impacts or burdens on individuals since it explicitly prevents overlapping prosecutions.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Business Owners+4Good For Urban Residents+2
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Small Business Support+3
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Due Process+2
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Criminal Sentencing Reform-2
- 9/22/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 7/21/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
John KennedyRepublican · Louisiana