PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Dec 8, 2021
Bivens Act of 2021
This bill provides individuals with a statutory right to sue and recover damages from federal officials for violations of their constitutional rights.
Currently, individuals have a statutory right to bring such suits against state or local officials (e.g., law enforcement), commonly known as Section 1983 suits or Bivens actions. Although the statute does not explicitly authorize such suits against federal officials, the Supreme Court has found this right to be inferred from the Constitution in certain situations (e.g., Fourth Amendment violations committed by federal law enforcement officers).
People & committees
Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] · D–RI
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
Source last updated: Aug 10, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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Analyze S.3343 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.
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