[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3331 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3331

                        To protect civil rights.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 21, 1993

 Mr. Conyers introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
                        To protect civil rights.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Civil Rights Protection Act of 
1993''.

SEC. 2. GOVERNMENTAL EMPLOYER LIABILITY.

    (a) Generally.--Any State, county, municipality, or other unit of 
State or local government shall be liable to the party injured and to 
the United States, in accordance with this Act, for the conduct of such 
unit's employee, that subjects or causes to be subjected, under color 
of law, any citizen of the United States or other person to the 
deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the 
Constitution and laws of the United States.
    (b) Extent of Liability.--The liability created by this section 
shall exist whether or not the employee is personally liable and 
whether or not the employee had an objectively reasonable good faith 
belief in the lawfulness of the conduct.
    (c) Exception.--Liability may not be imposed under this section for 
any conduct for which the individual causing such conduct is entitled 
to absolute immunity.

SEC. 3. SUIT BY UNITED STATES.

    (a) Generally.--The United States may bring a civil action to 
establish liability under section 2. The action may be brought only 
against the unit of State or local government that employed the person 
whose conduct caused the liability. The action may be brought only with 
the consent of the injured party and may be brought whether or not the 
injured party has brought an action to establish that liability. An 
action brought by the United States under this section may be 
consolidated with an action brought by the injured party.
    (b) Damages.--In an action under this section, compensatory damages 
may be awarded to the injured party, and punitive damages may be 
awarded either to the injured party, or to the United States, or partly 
to each. Duplicate compensatory damages may not be awarded under this 
Act to the injured party.

SEC. 4. STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS.

    The statute of limitations applicable to actions to enforce the 
liability created by section 2 is the same as that applicable to an 
action under section 1979 of the Revised Statutes of the United States 
(42 U.S.C. 1983).

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