SPIES Act

S 2227, the SPIES Act, removes time limits for prosecuting specific espionage-related offenses under federal law. It eliminates statutes of limitations for violations of sections 951 (espionage), 794 (procurement of citizenship unlawfully), or 1425 (harboring persons to facilitate espionage), as long as the 1425 violation was used to aid a 951 offense. This change directly affects federal prosecutors, who can now bring charges for these crimes at any time, and individuals accused of such offenses. The bill amends Title 18 of the U.S. Code to add "Espionage offenses" as section 3302, clarifying the scope of these time-free prosecutions. It does not alter the definitions of the underlying crimes but changes the procedural timeline for their prosecution.