PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Nov 8, 1997
Bias Crimes Compensation Act of 1997 - Declares that all individuals within the United States, and its special maritime and territorial jurisdiction, shall have the right to be free from bias-motivated crimes of violence. Makes any person, including one who acts under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage of any State, who deprives an individual of such right, liable to the individual injured, in a civil action in any court of competent jurisdiction, for compensatory damages of not less than $100,000, punitive damages, injunctive relief, declaratory relief, or any combination thereof. Specifies that nothing in this Act: (1) entitles an individual to a claim herein for random acts of violence unrelated to bias or for acts that cannot be demonstrated, by a preponderance of the evidence, to be bias-motivated crimes of violence; and (2) requires a prior criminal complaint, prosecution, or conviction to establish the necessary elements of such a claim. Grants the Federal and State courts concurrent jurisdiction over actions brought under this Act. Prohibits a civil action in State court arising under this Act from being removed to U.S. district court. Authorizes the court to award attorney's fees to the prevailing party in cases brought under this Act, subject to specified limitations.
People & committees
Rep. Nadler, Jerrold [D-NY-8] · D–NY
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution.
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Aug 21, 2025. 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.2959 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.2959 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.2959 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.2959 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.