I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 843 
To provide for a safe harbor for reports to potential employers by current 
or former employers of violent behavior or threats thereof by employees. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 3, 2017 
Mr. GOODLATTE (for himself, Mr. GARRETT, Mr. GRIFFITH, Mr. PETERSON, 
and Mr. CHABOT) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To provide for a safe harbor for reports to potential employ-
ers by current or former employers of violent behavior 
or threats thereof by employees. 
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 ‘‘See Something, Say 
Something About Violent Behavior Act of 2017’’. 
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SEC. 2. SAFE HARBOR FROM LIABILITY FOR REPORTS OF 
VIOLENT BEHAVIOR. 
(a) SAFE HARBOR FOR EMPLOYER REPORTS OF VIO-
LENT BEHAVIOR
OR THREATENED VIOLENT BEHAV-
IOR.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Any employer who, in good 
faith and based on objectively reasonable suspicion, 
makes, or causes to be made, a voluntary report 
about violent behavior, or threatened violent behav-
ior, by an employee or former employee to a poten-
tial employer of that employee, or to any authorized 
official, shall be immune from civil liability under 
Federal, State, and local law for such report. 
(2) FALSE REPORTS.—Paragraph (1) shall not 
apply to any report if it is shown by clear and con-
vincing evidence that the employer knew such report 
to be false or that such report was made with reck-
less disregard for the truth at the time that em-
ployer made such report. 
(b) SAFE HARBOR FOR RESPONSE.—Any potential 
employer who observes or receives a report from an em-
ployer acting pursuant to subsection (a) about violent be-
havior, or threatened violent behavior, of an employee or 
potential employee and takes reasonable action in good 
faith to respond to such activity shall be immune from 
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civil liability under Federal, State, and local law for such 
action. 
(c) IMMUNITY FOR RESPONSE.—Any authorized offi-
cial who observes or receives a report of violent behavior, 
or threatened violent behavior, and takes reasonable action 
in good faith to respond to such activity shall have quali-
fied immunity from civil liability for such action, con-
sistent with applicable law in the relevant jurisdiction. An 
authorized official who is not entitled to assert the defense 
of qualified immunity shall nevertheless be immune from 
civil liability under Federal, State, and local law if such 
authorized official takes reasonable action, in good faith, 
to respond to the reported activity. 
(d) SAVINGS CLAUSE.—Nothing in this Act shall af-
fect the ability of any employer or authorized official to 
assert any defense, privilege, or immunity that would oth-
erwise be available under Federal, State, or local law or 
regulations, or common law, and this Act shall not be con-
strued as affecting any such defense, privilege, or immu-
nity. 
(e) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this Act 
shall be construed to create any duty of any employer to 
disclose violent behavior, or threatened violent behavior, 
or to preclude an employer from disclosing any such be-
havior, or other behavior. 
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(f) ATTORNEY FEES AND COSTS.—Any employer or 
authorized official who is found to be immune from civil 
liability under this section shall be entitled to recover from 
the plaintiff all reasonable costs and attorney fees. 
(g) DEFINITION.—In this section— 
(1) the term ‘‘authorized official’’ means— 
(A) any officer, employee, or agent of the 
Department of Homeland Security, the Depart-
ment of Transportation, or the Department of 
Justice; or 
(B) any Federal, State, or local law en-
forcement officer; and 
(2) the term ‘‘employer’’ includes any individual 
agent or representative of that employer; and 
(3) the term ‘‘violent behavior, or threatened 
violent behavior’’ means battery, assault, threats of 
violence, physical fighting, physical intimidation, and 
other violent conduct, or a threat of such conduct, 
that a reasonable person would consider to pose a 
threat of physical injury to any person. 
Æ 
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