To provide for a right of action against Federal employees for violations of First Amendment rights.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
ReportedAdditional sponsors: Mr. Tiffany, Mrs. Cammack, Mr. McClintock, Mr. Donalds, …
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the …
Mr. Bishop of North Carolina (for himself, Ms. Hageman, Mr. …
Summary
What This Bill Does
Creates a private right of action allowing individuals to sue federal employees personally for First Amendment violations. Modeled on Section 1983 for state actors.
Who Benefits and How
Citizens gain legal remedy against federal censorship. Free speech advocates achieve accountability tool. Victims of government speech suppression can seek damages.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal employees face personal liability for speech violations. Government cannot defend employees for constitutional violations. May chill legitimate government communications.
Key Provisions
- Creates Bivens-like action for First Amendment violations
- Allows attorney fees for prevailing plaintiffs
- Excludes President and Vice President
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Creates private right of action against federal employees who violate First Amendment rights
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Enable lawsuits against federal employees for speech violations"
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
individual in executive branch position, excluding President and VP
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology