A bill to amend title 18, United States Code, to establish rational criteria for the imposition of the sentence of death, and for other purposes.

Amends the Federal criminal code to establish criteria for the imposition of the death penalty for Federal crimes.

Requires the Government, for any offense punishable by death, to serve notice upon the defendant a reasonable time before trial or acceptance of a plea of guilty 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 an offense punishable by death.

Provides that no presentence report shall be prepared in such cases. 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.

Specifies mitigating factors which the defendant must establish by a preponderance of the information and aggravating factors which the Government must prove beyond a reasonable doubt.

Includes as threshold, aggravating factors for homicide that the defendant: (1) intentionally killed the victim; (2) intentionally inflicted serious bodily injury which resulted in the death of the victim; (3) intentionally participated in an act which he reasonably should have known would create grave risk of death to a person and the victim did die as a direct result of the act; or (4) attempted to kill the President of the United States.

Sets forth special aggravating factors with respect to the crimes of treason and espionage.

Includes among the mitigating factors that the defendant was less than 18 years old at the time of the crime.

Conditions imposition of the death penalty on a majority finding by the jury that: (1) some aggravating factor exists in addition to a threshold factor; and (2) the aggravating factor sufficiently outweighs any mitigating factor found to exist.

Directs the court to impose the death penalty upon a finding that such sentence is justified.

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 death sentence.

Limits the circumstances under which the offense of delivering defense information to aid foreign governments is punishable by death. Allows the death penalty to be imposed for the murder of foreign officials and for an offense of kidnapping resulting in the death of any person. Eliminates the death penalty for the crime of rape.

Authorizes the death penalty for the crime of attempting to kill the President of the United States if the attempt results in bodily injury to the President or otherwise comes dangerously close to causing his death.

Establishes procedures for appeal from a death sentence. Requires the Court of Appeals, upon considering the record and the information and procedures of the sentencing hearing, to affirm the decision if: (1) the sentence was not imposed under 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.