PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 18, 2025
Let Injured Americans Be Legally Empowered Act or the LIABLE Act
This bill prohibits COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers from being immune under federal law from lawsuits relating to their vaccines.
Specifically, the bill prohibits any federal law from providing immunity for COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers from civil suits or liability, or limiting liability, with respect to the administration or use of their vaccines. Additionally, individuals may not be precluded from bringing a civil suit against a COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer because the individual sought or received compensation through specified federal vaccine injury compensation programs, nor does the bill preclude individuals from seeking compensation through these programs.
The bill applies to vaccine administrations that occur before, on, or after the bill's date of enactment.
People & committees
Rep. Roy, Chip [R-TX-21] · R–TX
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Oct 6, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.
Analyze H.R.1432 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
Examine H.R.1432 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
Examine H.R.1432 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
Examine H.R.1432 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.
PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-18 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
This bill would prevent federal law from shielding COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers from lawsuits or limiting their liability for vaccine-related losses. People could still seek compensation through two federal injury compensation programs, and seeking or receiving that compensation could not be a reason to bar their civil lawsuits. The proposal would cover vaccine administration or use before, on, or after enactment.
No Federal law, including sections 319F–3, 2111, and 2122 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d–6d, 300aa–11, 300aa–22), may make the manufacturer of a COVID–19 vaccine immune from suit or liability, or limit the liability of such a manufacturer, with respect to claims for loss caused by, arising out of, relating to, or resulting from the administration to or the use by an individual of a COVID–19 vaccine.
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit an individual from seeking compensation through the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program under section 319F–4 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d–6e) or the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program under subtitle 2 of title XXI of such Act (42 U.S.C. 300aa–10 et seq.).
An individual shall not be precluded from bringing a civil action for claims described in subsection (a) on the basis of such individual having sought or received compensation through the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program
This Act applies without regard to whether the adminstration or use of a COVID–19 vaccine occurs before, on, or after the date of enactment of this Act.
Section 1 names the proposal the Let Injured Americans Be Legally Empowered Act, or LIABLE Act.
This Act may be cited as the Let Injured Americans Be Legally Empowered Act or the LIABLE Act.
Section 2(a) would bar any federal law from giving COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers immunity—protection from being sued or held legally responsible—or limiting their liability for covered claims. Its scope includes losses caused by, arising from, related to, or resulting from a person's vaccine administration or use.
No Federal law, including sections 319F–3, 2111, and 2122 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d–6d, 300aa–11, 300aa–22), may make the manufacturer of a COVID–19 vaccine immune from suit or liability, or limit the liability of such a manufacturer, with respect to claims for loss caused by, arising out of, relating to, or resulting from the administration to or the use by an individual of a COVID–19 vaccine.
Sections 2(b) and 2(c) would preserve people's ability to seek injury compensation through the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program or the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. Seeking or receiving payments through either program could not be grounds for barring a civil lawsuit over the vaccine-related losses covered by section 2(a).
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit an individual from seeking compensation through the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program under section 319F–4 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d–6e) or the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program under subtitle 2 of title XXI of such Act (42 U.S.C. 300aa–10 et seq.).
An individual shall not be precluded from bringing a civil action for claims described in subsection (a) on the basis of such individual having sought or received compensation through the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program under section 319F–4 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d–6e) or the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program under subtitle 2 of title XXI of such Act (42 U.S.C. 300aa–10 et seq.).
Section 2(d) would cover vaccines licensed or otherwise authorized by the Food and Drug Administration to prevent, reduce, or limit harm from COVID-19, or transmission of SARS-CoV-2 or a virus mutated from it.
The term COVID–19 vaccine means a vaccine licensed or otherwise authorized by the Food and Drug Administration to prevent, mitigate, or limit— (1) the harm from COVID–19; or (2) the transmission of SARS–CoV–2 or a virus mutating therefrom.
Section 2(e) would apply the proposal retroactively: vaccine administration or use before enactment would be covered, along with administration or use on or after enactment.
This Act applies without regard to whether the adminstration or use of a COVID–19 vaccine occurs before, on, or after the date of enactment of this Act.
The supplied action snapshot, updated October 6, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on the Judiciary on February 18, 2025.
Source snapshot updated 2026-10-06T21:23:53Z. 2025-02-18: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. 2025-02-18: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-18. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; earmark disclosures and accompanying committee materials were not supplied.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No narrow preferential carve-out beyond the proposal's intended coverage and access to legal remedies was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Oct 6, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI