United States 119th Congress Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 12 D · 1 I cosponsors

S 3470 — Accountability for Federal Law Enforcement Act

Last action — Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S8731-8732)

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced December 15, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.

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A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Advancing 42% · moderate confidence

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 13 sponsors

    1 primary, 12 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (12 D · 1 I) — cross-party backing.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

3 changes Share ↗

Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill amends 42 U.S.C. § 1983 to include public employers as liable parties in civil actions for deprivation of rights by law enforcement officers.

  • 42 U.S.C. 1983

    Every → (a) In this section, the term `public employer' means a Federal law enforcement agency that, at the time of a deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities described in section (b), employs, or contracts with an individual to perform the duties of, a Federal law enforcement officer or any other officer empowered by law to execute searches, to seize evidence, or to make arrests. (b) Every

    This change defines 'public employer' and repositions the beginning of the section, creating a new subsection.

  • 42 U.S.C. 1983

    the United States or

    This addition expands the scope of the statute to include actions involving the United States.

  • 42 U.S.C. 1983

    (c) If, while acting under color of law, any officer who is empowered by law to execute searches, to seize evidence, or to make arrests subjects or causes to be subjected any citizen of the United States or other person within the jurisdiction thereof to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws, the public employer of that officer shall be liable to the party injured for the conduct of the officer in an action at law, suit in equity, or other proper proceeding for redress, regardless of whether a policy or custom of the public employer caused the violation, and regardless of whether the officer has any defense or immunity from suit or liability. This paragraph shall constitute a waiver of sovereign immunity of the United States with respect to Federal law enforcement agencies for any claim brought under this section. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to limit or preclude any legal, equitable, or other remedy that is available, under this section or under any other source of law, against an individual officer.

    This addition holds public employers liable for the actions of their law enforcement officers, waiving sovereign immunity for such claims.

Action History

  1. Introduced in Senate

  2. Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S8731-8732)

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 12 co-sponsors · 534 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (12)

Not signed on (534)

534 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 534 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

public-safety civil-rights
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors S 3470?
S 3470 is sponsored by Padilla, Alex (Democratic), Blumenthal, Richard (Democratic), Booker, Cory A. (Democratic), Whitehouse, Sheldon (Democratic), Markey, Edward J. (Democratic), Wyden, Ron (Democratic), Sanders, Bernard (Independent), Warren, Elizabeth (Democratic), Merkley, Jeff (Democratic), Duckworth, Tammy (Democratic), Kim, Andy (Democratic), Durbin, Richard J. (Democratic), and Hirono, Mazie K. (Democratic).
What is the current status of S 3470?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced December 15, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track S 3470?
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Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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