I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8838 
To protect health care providers and people seeking reproductive health care 
services, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 
Ms. JACKSON LEE (for herself, Ms. LEE of California, and Mr. KAHELE) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on En-
ergy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
committee concerned 
A BILL 
To protect health care providers and people seeking 
reproductive health care services, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Safeguard Healthcare 
Industry Employees from Litigation and Distress Act’’ or 
the ‘‘SHIELD Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
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(1) The term ‘‘reproductive health care service’’ 
includes, with respect to a current, potential, or an-
ticipated pregnancy— 
(A) a diagnosis; 
(B) an evaluation; 
(C) an assessment; 
(D) a consultation or the provision of ad-
vice, including with respect to decision-making; 
(E) a treatment; and 
(F) an abortion-related health care service. 
(2) The term ‘‘health care provider’’ means any 
entity or individual (including any physician, cer-
tified nurse-midwife, nurse practitioner, nurse, phy-
sician’s assistant, pharmacist, or other medical pro-
fessional) that is— 
(A) engaged or seeks to engage in decision- 
making related to, or the delivery of, health 
care services, including reproductive health care 
services; and 
(B) licensed or certified to perform such 
service under applicable State law. 
(3) The term ‘‘State’’ includes the several 
States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth 
of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, 
American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Is-
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lands, each Indian tribe, and each territory or pos-
session of the United States. 
SEC. 3. RESTRICTION ON CERTAIN DEPARTMENT OF JUS-
TICE LAW ENFORCEMENT FUNDING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The funds that a State would oth-
erwise receive under a covered grant program shall be re-
duced by 50 percent if the State has in effect a law that 
authorizes officers or employees of the State or of a unit 
of local government to prevent (including through criminal 
enforcement), restrict, impede, or retaliate against— 
(1) a health care provider who seeks to initiate, 
provide, or otherwise facilitate the provision of re-
productive health care services to a patient or pro-
spective patient; 
(2) any person or entity that seeks to assist a 
health care provider who seeks to initiate, provide, 
or otherwise facilitate the provision of reproductive 
health care services to a patient or prospective pa-
tient; 
(3) any person who seeks to gain access to— 
(A) reproductive health care services; or 
(B) a health care provider for the purpose 
of accessing reproductive health care services; 
or 
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(4) any person or entity that seeks to assist an-
other person who seeks to gain access to— 
(A) reproductive health care services; or 
(B) a health care provider for the purpose 
of accessing reproductive health care services. 
(b) COVERED GRANT PROGRAM.—In this section, the 
term ‘‘covered grant program’’ means grants under— 
(1) part Q of title I of the Omnibus Crime Con-
trol and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 13081 
et seq.); and 
(2) subpart 1 of part E of title I of the Omni-
bus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 
U.S.C. 10151 et seq.). 
SEC. 4. INTERFERENCE BY OFFICERS OR EMPLOYEES OF A 
STATE OR UNIT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT 
PROHIBITED. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—No officer or employee of a State 
or unit of local government may act under color of law 
in any manner that would have a discriminatory effect on 
a woman by preventing (including through criminal en-
forcement), restricting, impeding, or retaliating against— 
(1) a health care provider who seeks to initiate, 
provide, or otherwise facilitate the provision of re-
productive health care services to a patient or pro-
spective patient; 
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(2) any person or entity that seeks to assist a 
health care provider who seeks to initiate, provide, 
or otherwise facilitate the provision of reproductive 
health care services to a patient or prospective pa-
tient; 
(3) any person who seeks to gain access to— 
(A) reproductive health care services; or 
(B) a health care provider for the purpose 
of accessing reproductive health care services; 
or 
(4) any person or entity that seeks to assist an-
other person who seeks to gain access to— 
(A) reproductive health care services; or 
(B) a health care provider for the purpose 
of accessing reproductive health care services. 
(b) ENFORCEMENT BY ATTORNEY GENERAL.—The 
Attorney General may bring a civil action for declaratory 
and injunctive relief in the appropriate United States dis-
trict court against any person who violates subsection (a). 
(c) PRIVATE RIGHT OF ACTION.—Any person who is 
harmed by a violation of subsection (a) may bring a civil 
action in the appropriate United States district court 
against the person who violated such subsection for— 
(1) declaratory and injunctive relief; 
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(2) such compensatory damages as the court 
determines appropriate, including for economic 
losses and for emotional pain and suffering; 
(3) such punitive damages as the court deter-
mines appropriate; and 
(4) reasonable attorney’s fees and costs of the 
action that the court determines appropriate to 
award to a prevailing plaintiff. 
(d) CRIMINAL PENALTY.—Whoever, in violating sub-
section (a), uses a deadly or dangerous weapon or inflicts 
bodily injury, shall be fined under title 18, United States 
Code, or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both. 
(e) NO STATE IMMUNITY.—A State shall not be im-
mune under the eleventh amendment to the Constitution 
of the United States from an action in a Federal or State 
court of competent jurisdiction for a violation of this sec-
tion. 
SEC. 5. INTERFERENCE BY PERSONS NOT OFFICERS OR 
EMPLOYEES OF A STATE OR UNIT OF LOCAL 
GOVERNMENT PROHIBITED. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—No person who is not an officer 
or employee of a State or of a unit of local government, 
who, in a circumstance described in subsection (b), by op-
eration of a provision of State law attempts to implement 
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or enforce State law, may act or threaten to act in any 
manner to prevent, restrict, impede, or retaliate against— 
(1) a health care provider who seeks to initiate, 
provide, or otherwise facilitate the provision of re-
productive health care services to a patient or pro-
spective patient; 
(2) any person or entity that assists a health 
care provider who seeks to initiate, provide, or other-
wise facilitate the provision of reproductive health 
care services to a patient or prospective patient; 
(3) any person who seeks to gain access to— 
(A) reproductive health care services; or 
(B) a health care provider for the purpose 
of accessing reproductive health care services; 
or 
(4) any person or entity that seeks to assist an-
other person who seeks to gain access to— 
(A) reproductive health care services; or 
(B) a health care provider for the purpose 
of accessing reproductive health care services. 
(b) CIRCUMSTANCES DESCRIBED.—For the purposes 
of subsection (a), the circumstances described in this sub-
section are that— 
(1) any travel in interstate or foreign com-
merce, or travel enabled by a means, channel, facil-
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ity, or instrumentality of interstate or foreign com-
merce, occurred in furtherance of or in connection 
with the conduct described in subsection (a); 
(2) a means, channel, facility, or instrumen-
tality of interstate or foreign commerce was used in 
furtherance of or in connection with the conduct de-
scribed in subsection (a); 
(3) any payment of any kind was made, directly 
or indirectly, in furtherance of or in connection with 
the conduct described in subsection (a) using any 
means, channel, facility, or instrumentality of inter-
state or foreign commerce or in or affecting inter-
state or foreign commerce; 
(4) any communication was transmitted in 
interstate or foreign commerce, relating to or in fur-
therance of the conduct described in subsection (a) 
using any means, channel, facility, or instrumen-
tality of interstate or foreign commerce or in or af-
fecting interstate or foreign commerce by any means 
or in manner, including by computer, mail, wire, or 
electromagnetic transmission; 
(5) any instrument, item, substance, or other 
object that has traveled in interstate or foreign com-
merce was used to perform the conduct described in 
subsection (a); 
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(6) the conduct described in subsection (a) oc-
curred within the special maritime and territorial ju-
risdiction of the United States, or any territory or 
possession of the United States; or 
(7) the conduct described in subsection (a) oth-
erwise occurred in or affected interstate or foreign 
commerce. 
(c) ENFORCEMENT BY ATTORNEY GENERAL.—The 
Attorney General may bring a civil action for declaratory 
and injunctive relief in the appropriate United States dis-
trict court against any person who violates subsection (a). 
(d) PRIVATE RIGHT OF ACTION.—Any person who is 
harmed by a violation of subsection (a) may bring a civil 
action in the appropriate United States district court 
against the person who violated such subsection for— 
(1) declaratory and injunctive relief; 
(2) such compensatory damages as the court 
determines appropriate, including for economic 
losses and for emotional pain and suffering; 
(3) such punitive damages as the court deter-
mines appropriate; and 
(4) reasonable attorney’s fees and costs of the 
action that the court determines appropriate to 
award to a prevailing plaintiff. 
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