Sponsors (3)
The bill expands victims' access to jury trials and clarifies which federal officers are covered under FTCA claims, while increasing litigation risk, potential taxpayer liability, and legal uncertainty for officers and courts.
Claimants harmed by covered federal law enforcement officers can bring FTCA claims and choose a jury trial in federal court, increasing the chance of jury-decided remedies for victims.
The bill applies its changes retroactively and prospectively, allowing some pending and past claims to seek jury trials and remedies that may not have been available under prior interpretations.
It clarifies which federal personnel count as "Federal law enforcement officers," reducing ambiguity about who is covered and helping agencies, courts, and litigants identify applicable cases.
All taxpayers could face higher federal settlement payments or jury verdicts if more FTCA claims against law enforcement succeed before juries, increasing government liability costs.
Federal law enforcement officers and other federal employees may face increased litigation risk and liability exposure, which could harm morale and make recruitment or retention more difficult.
Retroactive application may trigger litigation over older incidents, increasing legal costs, delays, and uncertainty for claimants, defendants, and taxpayers.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Allows jury trials and expands FTCA coverage for tort claims tied to federal law enforcement officers, defines covered officers, and limits certain defenses.
Introduced February 9, 2026 by Cory Anthony Booker · Last progress February 9, 2026
Creates a new right for people injured by federal law enforcement officers to ask for a jury trial in federal tort claims against the United States, narrows certain immunity defenses those officers could use, and defines which federal officers are covered. The change applies to claims arising before, on, or after the law takes effect, but it does not reopen final judgments or revive claims that were already time-barred. The bill adjusts existing federal tort rules so cases involving federal law enforcement officers are treated under the Federal Tort Claims Act framework, clarifies who counts as a ‘‘federal law enforcement officer,’’ and makes a small technical change to an existing statute for consistency.