PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.
H.R.5520 / 111th Congress

Oil Spill Responsibility Act of 2010

Referred to the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in House · Jun 14, 2010

Oil Spill Responsibility Act of 2010 - Finds that BP p.l.c. (BP) confessed under oath before Congress to being the responsible party for the discharge of oil in the Gulf of Mexico resulting from the explosion on and sinking of the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon.

Requires BP immediately to pay the United States $25 billion as partial compensation for removal costs and damages for which BP is liable.

States that a specified limitation on damages under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 shall not apply with respect to the explosion on and sinking of the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon.

Prohibits the construction of this Act as limiting the liability of BP for such amount.

Requires amounts paid by BP under this Act to be deposited into a separate account in the Treasury and made available to the Secretary of the Interior to reimburse any person for removal costs and damages incurred as a result of the explosion on and sinking of the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon.

Read the summary on Congress.gov
PlainBill analysis is coming later. This page presents official source data. We have not yet published a PlainBill explanation for this bill.

Who introduced it

Rep. Kagen, Steve [D-WI-8] · D–WI

Committees

  • Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
33 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Actions

A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.

  1. Referred to the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.

  2. Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.

  3. Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

  4. Introduced in House

  5. Introduced in House

  6. Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H4252)

Bill text & related measures

Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.

Related bills identified by Congress.gov

No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.

Source last updated: Aug 14, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

Explore the bill from different angles

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.

Neutral evidence review

Objective

Analyze H.R.5520 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.

View full prompt & sources
Fairness and public impact

Progressive lens

Examine H.R.5520 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.

View full prompt & sources
Institutions and government scope

Conservative lens

Examine H.R.5520 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.

View full prompt & sources
Individual rights and government power

Liberty lens

Examine H.R.5520 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.

View full prompt & sources