To amend section 552a of title 5, United States Code, to provide for the liability of Federal personnel for intentional or willful violations of such section, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
This bill, called the Security and Accountability For Everyone (SAFE) Act of 2025, makes it easier to hold federal government workers personally responsible when they intentionally violate people's privacy rights. Currently, the Privacy Act makes it hard for individuals to sue when a federal employee deliberately mishandles their personal data. This bill changes that by: (1) expanding the law to cover certain high-ranking special government employees (like those at GS-13 level and above, but not interns or advisory committee members); (2) removing the requirement that a victim must show an "adverse determination" resulted from the violation -- proving "demonstrable harm" is enough; (3) allowing individuals to sue the federal employee personally, stripping them of immunity for intentional or willful violations; (4) requiring the employee to reimburse the Department of Justice for the cost of their legal defense if found liable; and (5) giving state attorneys general the power to sue federal agencies or employees on behalf of state residents whose privacy rights were violated. The bill targets intentional government misconduct, not honest mistakes.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Strengthens the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) by creating personal civil liability for federal employees and special government employees who intentionally or willfully violate privacy protections, and by granting state attorneys general parens patriae standing to sue on behalf of affected residents.
Key Policy Areas
Government Operations, Civil Rights
Primary Purpose
Strengthens the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) by creating personal civil liability for federal employees and special government employees who intentionally or willfully violate privacy protections, and by granting state attorneys general parens patriae standing to sue on behalf of affected residents.
Policy Domains
Amendments to the Privacy Act
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Individuals whose privacy is violated by federal personnel
- State attorneys general seeking to protect residents
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Federal personnel who intentionally violate the Privacy Act
- Special government employees at GS-13 and above
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Min (for himself and Mr. Johnson of Georgia) introduced …
Impact analysis is available but no clear stakeholder effects identified. View clause-level analysis →
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Not applicable
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A special Government employee (per 18 U.S.C. 202) who does not serve on an advisory committee, serves in GS-13 or higher (or SES or equivalent), and is not an intern or unpaid student volunteer.
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