Makes it easier to hold law enforcement officers accountable in court.
This bill would make it easier to pursue criminal charges and civil lawsuits against local and federal law enforcement officers. It would change the standard for criminal charges from "willfully" to "knowingly or recklessly" when an officer deprives someone of their rights, leading to death. It would also remove "qualified immunity" as a defense for officers in civil cases, meaning they could no longer claim they acted in good faith or that the law wasn't clear.
Today, prosecutors must prove an officer acted "willfully" to bring criminal charges for depriving someone's rights, and officers can use "qualified immunity" as a defense in civil lawsuits. If this bill becomes law, the criminal standard would change to "knowingly or recklessly," making it easier to prosecute officers. Also, officers would no longer be able to use "qualified immunity" as a defense in civil cases, which would make it easier for people to sue them.
HR 7290 · 119th Congress · January 30, 2026 · AI Summary by gemini-2.5-flash · 8/10
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