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HR 7951 116th Congress House

Qualified Immunity Act of 2020

Official title: To amend the Revised Statute to codify the defense of qualified immunity in the case of any action under section 1979, and for other purposes.

Introduced: August 7, 2020 Introduced by: Banks, Jim Republican · Indiana See on congress.gov
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues Civil actions and liabilityConstitution and constitutional amendmentsDue process and equal protectionGovernment liabilityLaw enforcement officers
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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 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Aug 7, 2020
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Aug 7, 2020
Introduced in House
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 Latest action August 7, 2020

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Qualified Immunity Act of 2020

This bill codifies the defense of qualified immunity for law enforcement officers in any case under provisions regarding civil actions for deprivation of rights under color of law.

Specifically, a law enforcement officer subject to such an action in his or her individual capacity shall not be found liable if the officer establishes that

  • the right, privilege, or immunity secured by the Constitution or federal law was not clearly established at the time of the deprivation, or that at this time, the state of the law was not sufficiently clear that every reasonable law enforcement officer would have understood that the conduct alleged constituted a violation of the Constitution or federal law; or
  • a court of competent jurisdiction had issued a final decision on the merits holding, without reversal, vacatur, or preemption, that the specific conduct alleged to be unlawful was consistent with the Constitution and federal laws.

A law enforcement agency or unit of local government that employed a law enforcement officer subject to such an action shall not be liable if the officer is found not liable and to have been acting within the scope of his or her employment.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Cosponsors 2
All 2 Republican 1
Cook, Paul
· Sep 15, 2020
 R
Steube, W. Gregory
Florida · Aug 18, 2020
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 7951: Qualified Immunity Act of 2020. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-7951/
MLA
"H.R. 7951: Qualified Immunity Act of 2020." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-7951/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 7951, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-7951/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 7951: Qualified Immunity Act of 2020](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-7951/)
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