Qualified Immunity Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.288 | Sponsor: Rep. Banks, Jim (R-IN)
Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues

Summary:
Qualified Immunity Act of 2021
This bill codifies the defense of qualified immunity for law enforcement officers in any case under provisions regarding civil actions for deprivation of rights under color of law.
Specifically, a law enforcement officer subject to such an action in his or her individual capacity shall not be found liable if the officer establishes that
A law enforcement agency or unit of local government that employed a law enforcement officer subject to such an action shall not be liable if the officer is found not liable and to have been acting within the scope of his or her employment.

To amend the Revised Statute to codify the defense of qualified 
 immunity in the case of any action under section 1979, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Qualified Immunity Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Qualified immunity is intended for all but the plainly 
        incompetent or those who knowingly violate the law and is meant 
        to give government officials breathing room to make reasonable 
        mistakes of fact and law.
            (2) The Supreme Court has observed that qualified immunity 
        balances two important interests, the need to hold law 
        enforcement officers accountable when they exercise power 
        irresponsibly and the need to shield officers from harassment, 
        distraction, and liability when they perform their duties 
        reasonably.

SEC. 3. CODIFICATION OF QUALIFIED IMMUNITY.

    (a) In General.--Section 1979 of the Revised Statutes (42 U.S.C. 
1983) is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``(a) In General--'' before ``Every 
        person''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(b) Applicability to Law Enforcement Officers.--
            ``(1) A law enforcement officer subject to an action under 
        this section in their individual capacity shall not be found 
        liable if such law enforcement officer establishes that--
                    ``(A) the right, privilege, or immunity secured by 
                the Constitution or Federal law was not clearly 
                established at the time of their deprivation by the law 
                enforcement officer, or that at this time, the state of 
                the law was not sufficiently clear that every 
                reasonable law enforcement officer would have 
                understood that the conduct alleged constituted a 
                violation of the Constitution or Federal law; or
                    ``(B) a court of competent jurisdiction had issued 
                a final decision on the merits holding, without 
                reversal, vacatur, or preemption, that the specific 
                conduct alleged to be unlawful was consistent with the 
                Constitution and Federal laws.
            ``(2) A law enforcement agency or unit of local government 
        who employed a law enforcement officer subject to an action 
        under subsection (a), shall not be liable for such action if 
        the law enforcement officer is found not liable under paragraph 
        (1) and was acting within the scope of their employment.
    ``(c) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Law enforcement officer.--The term `law enforcement 
        officer' means any Federal, State, Tribal, or local official 
        who is authorized by law to engage in or supervise the 
        prevention, detection, investigation, or the incarceration of 
        any person for any violation of law, and has statutory powers 
        of arrest or apprehension, including police officers and other 
        agents of a law enforcement agency.
            ``(2) Law enforcement agency.--The term `law enforcement 
        agency' means any Federal, State, Tribal, or local public 
        agency engaged in supervision, prevention, detection, 
        investigation, or the incarceration of any person for any 
        violation of law, and has statutory powers of arrest or 
        apprehension.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made under subsection (a) shall 
take effect on the date that is 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act.
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