118th Congress · HOUSE BILLBILL

H.R. 425 — History and Tradition Protection Act of 2023

“To amend the Revised Statutes of the United States to prevent the use of the legal system in a manner that extorts money from State and local governments, and the Federal Government, and inhibits such governments' constitutional actions under the first, tenth, and fourteenth amendments.”

Civil rights and liberties, minority issues

Introduced Jan 20, 2023

Last action Jan 20, 2023

Pipeline · Bill → Law

Step 1

Introduced

Jan 20, 2023

Step 2

Referred

Jan 20, 2023

Judiciary

Step 3

Committee

Step 4

House floor

Step 5

Senate

Step 6

Resolve Changes

Step 7

Signed

SummaryCRS Summary

This bill limits the types of relief that may be awarded in civil suits that involve violations of the Constitution's Establishment Clause, which prohibits the government from establishing a religion. Current law provides a statutory civil cause of action against state and local government actors for violations of constitutional rights, also known as Section 1983 lawsuits. The bill limits relief for Section 1983 lawsuits that involve violations of the Establishment Clause to injunctive and declaratory relief (i.e., nonmonetary relief) and prohibits the award of attorneys' fees in these cases, including those that involve monuments, public buildings, official seals, and government proceeding...

Provisions · 4 sectionsIntroduced in House

Timeline · 2 actions

Jan 20, 2023

Introduced in House

Jan 20, 2023

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.