House Judiciary Committee Approves Legislation to Ensure Enforcement of Constitutional Rights

Washington, D.C. – The House Judiciary Committee today approved the Ensuring Access to Justice for Claims Against the United States Act (H.R. 2329) by voice vote. Introduced by Constitution and Civil Justice Subcommittee Vice-Chairman Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) and Judiciary Committee member David Cicilline (D-RI), the Ensuring Access to Justice for Claims Against the United States Act would strengthen the American people’s ability to enforce their rights.   The Ensuring Access to Justice for Claims Against the United States Act fixes the outdated entanglements that 28 U.S.C. § 1500 creates for individuals who seek redress from actions taken by the federal government that infringe on their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 when the federal government infringes on their 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 Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Subcommittee Vice-Chairman DeSantis (R-Fla.) issued the following statements on the Committee’s approval of theEnsuring Access to Justice for Claims Against the United States Act: Chairman Goodlatte: “I am pleased that a bipartisan group of lawmakers have again approved this legislation to fix Section 1500 of the U.S. Code, which has gone unchanged for too long. Section 1500 was originally signed into law shortly after the Civil War and no longer serves a legitimate purpose. 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. The approval of this legislation is another step the House Judiciary Committee is taking to reform many of our nation’s outdated and irrelevant laws.” Subcommittee Vice-Chairman DeSantis: “Current law insulates the federal government from accountability because it forces individuals to choose between pursuing a monetary or nonmonetary suit when filing a claim against the federal government. This reduces accountability and unfairly burdens individual Americans. The Ensuring Access to Justice for Claims Against the United States Act is a simple legislative fix to ensure that our citizens have the opportunity to fully pursue justice.”