House Judiciary Committee Approves Legislation to Ensure Citizens Can Enforce Their Constitutional Rights

Press Release

The House Judiciary Committee approved H.R. 5683, the Ensuring Access to Justice for Claims Against the United States Act, by voice vote. Judiciary Committee Member Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) and Representative David Cicilline (D-RI.) introduced this legislation and Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and John Cornyn (R-Tex.) introduced companion legislation in the United States Senate.

The Ensuring Access to Justice for Claims Against the United States Act fixes the "jurisdictional dance" that 28 U.S.C. § 1500 creates for individuals who seek redress from actions taken by the federal government that infringe on their constitutional, statutory, or contractual rights. The legislation's changes to Section 1500 are designed to ensure that government employees, members of the armed forces, property owners, government contractors, Indian tribes, and others can receive the relief they are entitled to when the federal government infringes on their constitutional rights. Those with meritorious claims against the United States should no longer be forced to face antiquated and unfair procedural obstacles.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Judiciary Committee Member Ron DeSantis praised today's Committee vote:

Chairman Goodlatte: "Democrats and Republicans in both chambers of Congress agree that a legislative fix to Section 1500 is long overdue. Originally enacted by Congress in the aftermath of the Civil War, Section 1500 was signed into law to address a problem that no longer exists. The Ensuring Access to Justice for Claims Against the United States Act passed by the Judiciary Committee removes procedural obstacles and paves a path for redress for those whose rights have been violated by the federal government."

Congressman DeSantis: "Americans have been stymied by unnecessary procedural roadblocks when seeking to obtain redress from the federal government. This insulates government from accountability and I applaud the members of the Judiciary Committee for passing my legislation to reform this problem. I look forward to the bill's passage by the full House and to giving citizens full access to justice when defending their rights against the federal government."

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