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HR 5341 116th Congress House Environmental Protection Civil actions and liability Land use and conservation Legal fees and court costs Licensing and registrations Marine and coastal resources, fisheries Solid waste and recycling Water quality Water use and supply

Discouraging Frivolous Lawsuits Act

Introduced: December 6, 2019 See on congress.gov
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This bill died when the 116th Congress ended
It never became law before the 116th Congress (2019–2020) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Dec 9, 2019
Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
Dec 6, 2019
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Dec 6, 2019
Introduced in House
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Discouraging Frivolous Lawsuits Act

This bill revises requirements concerning (1) citizen suits under the Clean Water Act, (2) permits for wetlands, and (3) wetland mitigation.

Litigation costs (including reasonable attorney and expert witness fees) must be awarded to the prevailing party, thus the bill removes a court's discretion to award the fees. A prevailing party is defined as the party that prevails on more than half of the claims at issue.

In addition, the bill repeals the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to deny or restrict the use of any area as a disposal site for dredged or fill material when the discharge of those materials would have an unacceptable adverse effect on municipal water supplies, shellfish beds and fishery areas, wildlife, or recreational areas.

Finally, the bill revises mitigation requirements. Current law requires compensatory mitigation to replace the loss of aquatic resource functions in a watershed when a permit to discharge dredged or fill materials into navigable waters has unavoidable impacts on aquatic resources. This bill prohibits government entities from carrying out compensatory mitigation in excess of existing regulatory requirements.

What's happening now December 9, 2019

Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
 Cosponsors 27
All 27 Republican 13
R
Amodei, Mark E.
Nevada · Dec 6, 2019
 R
Banks, Jim
Indiana · Dec 6, 2019
Brooks, Mo
· Dec 6, 2019
 R
Budd, Ted
North Carolina · Dec 6, 2019
 R
Calvert, Ken
California · Dec 6, 2019
Flores, Bill
· Dec 6, 2019
Gianforte, Greg
· Dec 6, 2019
Gibbs, Bob
· Dec 6, 2019
 R
Harris, Andy
Maryland · Dec 6, 2019
Hartzler, Vicky
· Dec 6, 2019
Hollingsworth, Trey
· Dec 6, 2019
 R
Kelly, Trent
Mississippi · Dec 6, 2019
King, Steve
· Dec 6, 2019
Marchant, Kenny
· Dec 6, 2019
Meadows, Mark
· Dec 6, 2019
 R
Norman, Ralph
South Carolina · Dec 6, 2019
Olson, Pete
· Dec 6, 2019
Palazzo, Steven
· Dec 6, 2019
 R
Perry, Scott
Pennsylvania · Dec 6, 2019
 R
Rouzer, David
North Carolina · Dec 6, 2019
 R
Scott, Austin
Georgia · Dec 6, 2019
 R
Smith, Adrian
Nebraska · Dec 6, 2019
Stewart, Chris
· Dec 6, 2019
 R
Thompson, Glenn
Pennsylvania · Dec 6, 2019
Walorski, Jackie
· Dec 6, 2019
 R
Weber, Randy K. Sr.
Texas · Dec 6, 2019
Yoho, Ted
· Dec 6, 2019
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 5341: Discouraging Frivolous Lawsuits Act. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-5341/
MLA
"H.R. 5341: Discouraging Frivolous Lawsuits Act." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-5341/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 5341, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-5341/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 5341: Discouraging Frivolous Lawsuits Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-5341/)
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