I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7540 
To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide protections for nonviolent 
political protesters, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 5, 2024 
Ms. GREENE of Georgia introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Permanent Select 
Committee on Intelligence, for a period to be subsequently determined by 
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall with-
in the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide protec-
tions for nonviolent political protesters, 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 ‘‘Matthew Lawrence 
Perna Act of 2024’’. 
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SEC. 2. RELEASE OF A DEFENDANT PENDING TRIAL FOR 
NONVIOLENT POLITICAL PROTESTERS; RE-
COVERY FOR CERTAIN DEFENDANTS DE-
TAINED. 
Section 3142 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(k) NO DETENTION FOR NONVIOLENT POLITICAL 
PROTESTERS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A person charged with a 
covered political protest offense, and not charged 
with any crime of violence (as such term is defined 
in section 16(a)) may not be detained under this sec-
tion. 
‘‘(2) COVERED POLITICAL PROTEST OFFENSE 
DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘covered po-
litical protest offense’ means an offense— 
‘‘(A) arising out of political protest activi-
ties; and 
‘‘(B) which is not a crime of violence (as 
such term is defined in section 16(a)). 
‘‘(l) CIVIL ACTION.—A person who is tried for a Fed-
eral offense and is not convicted, or charged with an of-
fense and the charges are dropped, and the person was 
detained during the pendency of the trial or charges, may 
bring an action in a district court of the United States 
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against the United States and any officer or employee of 
the United States seeking compensatory damages.’’. 
SEC. 3. SPEEDY TRIAL FOR NONVIOLENT POLITICAL PRO-
TESTERS. 
Section 3161(a) of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after ‘‘In any case involving a de-
fendant charged with an offense’’ the following: ‘‘(includ-
ing a covered political offense (as such term is defined in 
section 3142(k))’’. 
SEC. 4. REMEDIES AVAILABLE FOR MALICIOUS OVER-
PROSECUTION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2680(h) of title 28, 
United States Code, is amended by inserting ‘‘malicious 
overprosecution,’’ after ‘‘false arrest, malicious prosecu-
tion,’’. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—Section 2671 of title 28, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘The term ‘malicious prosecution’ means charging a 
person with an offense when the official filing such 
charges knows or has reason to know that there is not 
probable cause to believe that the person committed the 
offense, and because of personal or political animosity, 
bias, or otherwise not in the interest of justice. 
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‘‘The term ‘malicious overprosecution’ means mali-
cious prosecution that involves charging a person with an 
offense that is grossly disproportionate to conduct al-
leged.’’. 
SEC. 5. LIMITATION ON USE OF NATIONAL SECURITY AU-
THORITY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provi-
sion of law, a national security authority may not be used 
by a Government official against a citizen of the United 
States, unless the citizen is intentionally acting as agent 
of a foreign power or entity. 
(b) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘national 
security authority’’ means— 
(1) any authority under the National Security 
Act of 1947 or any authority conferred onto any of 
the departments, agencies, councils, committees or 
any other entities created, established, restructured, 
or otherwise governed by such Act; and 
(2) any authority exercised by the National Se-
curity Division of the Department of Justice, the 
National Security Branch of the Federal Bureau of 
Investigation, or the Intelligence Branch of the Fed-
eral Bureau of Investigation. 
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SEC. 6. DISCLOSURE OF INVESTIGATIONS OF CITIZENS OF 
THE UNITED STATES. 
The provisions of section 552(b) of title 5, United 
States Code, do not apply with respect to a request made 
by a United States citizen that requests information about 
whether the United States is or was surveilling or inves-
tigating the citizen. 
SEC. 7. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING SENTENCING 
COVERED POLITICAL PROTEST OFFENSES. 
It is the sense of Congress that in sentencing a de-
fendant for a covered political protest offense (as such 
term is defined in section 3142 of title 18, United States 
Code), a judge should impose a sentence that is consistent 
with the minimum sentence provided by the guideline 
range applicable to the defendant. 
SEC. 8. TRANSFER OF VENUE. 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in the 
criminal trial of any individual for the commission of a 
criminal offense in the District of Columbia, the individual 
on trial may choose venue for the proceedings and trial 
to be in the district court for the district and division em-
bracing that individual’s primary residence. 
Æ 
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