I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2953 
To amend title 9 of the United States Code with respect to arbitration. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 27, 2023 
Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia (for himself, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. 
VELA´ZQUEZ, Mr. DOGGETT, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mr. THANEDAR, 
Mr. MFUME, Ms. PINGREE, Mr. NADLER, Mr. SCHIFF, Ms. ROSS, Ms. 
LOIS FRANKEL of Florida, Mr. BEYER, Ms. NORTON, Ms. BROWNLEY, 
Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. BOYLE
of Pennsylvania, Ms. SCANLON, Mr. 
SWALWELL, Mr. CARSON, Mr. EVANS, Ms. BUSH, Ms. CROCKETT, Mr. 
GARCI´A of Illinois, Mr. FOSTER, Mr. SARBANES, Mr. QUIGLEY, Mr. 
DESAULNIER, Mr. ROBERT GARCIA of California, Mrs. TRAHAN, Mr. 
CA´RDENAS, Mr. GOMEZ, Mr. HIGGINS of New York, Ms. DEGETTE, Ms. 
PORTER, Mr. CASAR, Mr. TRONE, Mr. STANTON, Mr. PHILLIPS, Ms. 
MCCOLLUM, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. ALLRED, Mr. GOLDEN of Maine, Mr. 
COHEN, Mr. CASTEN, Ms. GARCIA of Texas, Ms. STEVENS, Mrs. 
MCBATH, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE, Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania, 
Ms. PRESSLEY, Ms. WEXTON, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. 
SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. GOLDMAN of New York, Ms. OMAR, Mr. 
GOTTHEIMER, Mrs. MCCLELLAN, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, Mr. 
KRISHNAMOORTHI, Mr. CARTER
of Louisiana, Mr. KILDEE, Ms. 
SA´NCHEZ, Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ, Mr. POCAN, Mr. TONKO, Ms. WIL-
SON of Florida, Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia, Ms. KUSTER, Mr. CLEAVER, 
Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mr. NORCROSS, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Mr. KEATING, 
Mr. SMITH of Washington, Ms. SCHOLTEN, Mr. SOTO, Mr. KILMER, Mr. 
NEGUSE, and Mr. MORELLE) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To amend title 9 of the United States Code with respect 
to arbitration. 
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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 ‘‘Forced Arbitration In-
justice Repeal Act of 2023’’ or the ‘‘FAIR Act of 2023’’. 
SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 
The purposes of this Act are to— 
(1) prohibit predispute arbitration agreements 
that force arbitration of future employment, con-
sumer, antitrust, or civil rights disputes; and 
(2) prohibit agreements and practices that 
interfere with the right of individuals, workers, and 
small businesses to participate in a joint, class, or 
collective action related to an employment, con-
sumer, antitrust, or civil rights dispute. 
SEC. 3. ARBITRATION OF EMPLOYMENT, CONSUMER, ANTI-
TRUST, AND CIVIL RIGHTS DISPUTES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title 9 of the United States Code 
is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘CHAPTER 5—ARBITRATION OF EMPLOY-
MENT, CONSUMER, ANTITRUST, AND 
CIVIL RIGHTS DISPUTES 
‘‘Sec. 
‘‘501. Definitions. 
‘‘502. No validity or enforceability. 
‘‘§ 501. Definitions 
‘‘In this chapter— 
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‘‘(1) the term ‘antitrust dispute’ means a dis-
pute— 
‘‘(A) arising from an alleged violation of 
the antitrust laws (as defined in subsection (a) 
of the first section of the Clayton Act) or State 
antitrust laws; and 
‘‘(B) in which the plaintiffs seek certifi-
cation as a class under rule 23 of the Federal 
Rules of Civil Procedure or a comparable rule 
or provision of State law; 
‘‘(2) the term ‘civil rights dispute’ means a dis-
pute— 
‘‘(A) arising from an alleged violation of— 
‘‘(i) the Constitution of the United 
States or the constitution of a State; 
‘‘(ii) any Federal, State, or local law 
that prohibits discrimination on the basis 
of race, sex, age, gender identity, sexual 
orientation, disability, religion, national or-
igin, or any legally protected status in edu-
cation, employment, credit, housing, public 
accommodations and facilities, voting, vet-
erans or servicemembers, health care, or a 
program funded or conducted by the Fed-
eral Government or State government, in-
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cluding any law referred to or described in 
section 62(e) of the Internal Revenue Code 
of 1986, including parts of such law not 
explicitly referenced in such section but 
that relate to protecting individuals on any 
such basis; and 
‘‘(B) in which at least one party alleging a 
violation described in subparagraph (A) is one 
or more individuals (or their authorized rep-
resentative), including one or more individuals 
seeking certification as a class under rule 23 of 
the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure or a com-
parable rule or provision of State law; 
‘‘(3) the term ‘consumer dispute’ means a dis-
pute between— 
‘‘(A) one or more individuals who seek or 
acquire real or personal property, services (in-
cluding services related to digital technology), 
securities or other investments, money, or credit 
for personal, family, or household purposes in-
cluding an individual or individuals who seek 
certification as a class under rule 23 of the 
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure or a com-
parable rule or provision of State law; and 
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‘‘(B)(i) the seller or provider of such prop-
erty, services, securities or other investments, 
money, or credit; or 
‘‘(ii) a third party involved in the selling, 
providing of, payment for, receipt or use of in-
formation about, or other relationship to any 
such property, services, securities or other in-
vestments, money, or credit; 
‘‘(4) the term ‘employment dispute’ means a 
dispute between one or more individuals (or their 
authorized representative) and a person arising out 
of or related to the work relationship or prospective 
work relationship between them, including a dispute 
regarding the terms of or payment for, advertising 
of, recruiting for, referring of, arranging for, or dis-
cipline or discharge in connection with, such work, 
regardless of whether the individual is or would be 
classified as an employee or an independent con-
tractor with respect to such work, and including a 
dispute arising under any law referred to or de-
scribed in section 62(e) of the Internal Revenue 
Code of 1986, including parts of such law not explic-
itly referenced in such section but that relate to pro-
tecting individuals on any such basis, and including 
a dispute in which an individual or individuals seek 
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certification as a class under rule 23 of the Federal 
Rules of Civil Procedure or as a collective action 
under section 16(b) of the Fair Labor Standards 
Act, or a comparable rule or provision of State law; 
‘‘(5) the term ‘predispute arbitration agree-
ment’ means an agreement to arbitrate a dispute 
that has not yet arisen at the time of the making 
of the agreement; and 
‘‘(6) the term ‘predispute joint-action waiver’ 
means an agreement, whether or not part of a 
predispute arbitration agreement, that would pro-
hibit, or waive the right of, one of the parties to the 
agreement to participate in a joint, class, or collec-
tive action in a judicial, arbitral, administrative, or 
other forum, concerning a dispute that has not yet 
arisen at the time of the making of the agreement. 
‘‘§ 502. No validity or enforceability 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other pro-
vision of this title, no predispute arbitration agreement or 
predispute joint-action waiver shall be valid or enforceable 
with respect to an employment dispute, consumer dispute, 
antitrust dispute, or civil rights dispute. 
‘‘(b) APPLICABILITY.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An issue as to whether this 
chapter applies with respect to a dispute shall be de-
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termined under Federal law. The applicability of this 
chapter to an agreement to arbitrate and the validity 
and enforceability of an agreement to which this 
chapter applies shall be determined by a court, rath-
er than an arbitrator, irrespective of whether the 
party resisting arbitration challenges the arbitration 
agreement specifically or in conjunction with other 
terms of the contract containing such agreement, 
and irrespective of whether the agreement purports 
to delegate such determinations to an arbitrator. 
‘‘(2) COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS.— 
Nothing in this chapter shall apply to any arbitra-
tion provision in a contract between an employer and 
a labor organization or between labor organizations, 
except that no such arbitration provision shall have 
the effect of waiving the right of a worker to seek 
judicial enforcement of a right arising under a provi-
sion of the Constitution of the United States, a 
State constitution, or a Federal or State statute, or 
public policy arising therefrom.’’. 
(b) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Title 9 of the United States 
Code is amended— 
(A) in section 1 by striking ‘‘of seamen,’’ 
and all that follows through ‘‘interstate com-
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merce’’ and inserting in its place ‘‘of individ-
uals, regardless of whether such individuals are 
designated as employees or independent con-
tractors for other purposes’’; 
(B) in section 2 by striking ‘‘chapter 4’’ 
and inserting ‘‘chapter 4 or 5’’; 
(C) in section 208 by striking ‘‘chapter 4’’ 
and inserting ‘‘chapter 4 or 5’’; and 
(D) in section 307 by striking ‘‘chapter 4’’ 
and inserting ‘‘chapter 4 or 5’’. 
(2) TABLE OF CHAPTERS.—The table of chap-
ters of title 9 of the United States Code is amended 
by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘5. Arbitration of Employment, Consumer, Antitrust, and Civil Rights 
Disputes ........................................................................
501’’. 
SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
This Act, and the amendments made by this Act, 
shall take effect on the date of enactment of this Act and 
shall apply with respect to any dispute or claim that arises 
or accrues on or after such date. 
SEC. 5. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 
Nothing in this Act, or the amendments made by this 
Act, shall be construed to prohibit the use of arbitration 
on a voluntary basis after the dispute arises. 
Æ 
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