3.0.0 2232 2023-01-11T13:26:34Z 2023-01-11T13:26:34Z Senate S S 2014-04-09 113 ssju00 Judiciary Committee Senate Standing Referred to 2014-04-09T20:04:58Z 2014-04-09 ssju00 Judiciary Committee Senate Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. IntroReferral 2014-04-09 Introduced in Senate IntroReferral 10000 9 Library of Congress T000461 Sen. Toomey, Patrick [R-PA] Patrick Toomey R PA J. N Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues Accounting and auditing Civil actions and liability First Amendment rights Government liability Government studies and investigations Licensing and registrations Political movements and philosophies Religion Tax-exempt organizations Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues 00 2014-04-09 Introduced in Senate 2014-05-08T18:39:49Z 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.

]]> First Amendment Protection Act Display Title First Amendment Protection Act Official Title as Introduced A bill to protect the right to freedom of speech secured by the First Amendment to the Constitution, and for other purposes. Introduced in Senate IS Short Titles as Introduced First Amendment Protection Act Introduced in Senate 2014-04-09T04:00:00Z https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-113s2232is/xml/BILLS-113s2232is.xml 2014-04-09 Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress This file contains bill summaries and statuses for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.