First Amendment Protection Act
Latest action · Apr 9, 2014 Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedApr 9, 2014
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
First Amendment Protection Act - Establishes a cause of action that may be brought against a federal executive agency officer or employee who, in the course of an investigation, audit, decision to disclose any record, or decision to grant a license, permit, or recognition of tax exempt status, discriminates against a person's or group's political or religious viewpoint or affiliation in violation of the First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of speech.
Defines "record" as any item, collection, or grouping of information about an individual or group that: (1) is maintained by an executive agency, including education, financial transactions, medical information, tax information, address, and criminal or employment history; and (2) contains an individual's name or the identifying number, symbol, or other identifying particular assigned to the individual, such as a finger or voice print or a photograph.
Permits a person or group aggrieved of such a violation to bring a civil action in federal court against the officer or employee (or former officer or employee) for damages or other legal or equitable relief. Allows the court to include the retirement benefits of such an officer or employee in the amount of any damages awarded.
Authorizes the head of an executive agency, if a court determines that an officer or employee of the agency has violated this Act, to terminate such officer or employee and such officer's or employee's benefits, including retirement benefits, without cause.
Provides for such cause of action and termination authority to apply to conduct that occurred before the enactment of this Act.
Expands the categories of nonprofit organizations authorized to file a pleading with a federal court for a declaratory judgment regarding their qualification for tax-exempt status (including any revocation of or change in qualification) to include: (1) civic leagues or organizations; (2) labor, agricultural, or horticultural organizations; and (3) business leagues, chambers of commerce, real-estate boards, boards of trade, or professional football leagues.
Cosponsors
Members who signed on, in the order they did.
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Apr 9, 2014Introduced in Senate
- Apr 9, 2014Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Apr 9, 2014Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.