H.R. 286 — Preserving Safe Communities by Ending Swatting Act of 2025

This section revises 18 U.S.C. § 1038(a)(1), which criminalizes conveying false or misleading information reasonably believed to indicate specified federal offenses (e.g., terrorism under chapters 2, 10, 11B, etc., nuclear sabotage, aircraft piracy), to also prohibit such conduct using the mail or interstate or foreign commerce if reasonably expected to cause an emergency response and indicating a state or federal crime or endangerment to public health or safety or any person (with unchanged penalties of up to 5 years imprisonment, or 20 years if serious bodily injury results, or life if death results). (2) It makes parallel revisions to the civil action liability in subsection (b) for emergency or investigative response expenses. (3) It adds subsection (e) defining "emergency response" (i.e., deployment of personnel or equipment, evacuation order or advice, or warning by a public safety, fire, or rescue agency or private nonprofit fire or rescue organization).