Summary#
This bill would bar the use of federal money to pay legal settlements to people convicted of assaulting a law enforcement officer in connection with breaching the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Its main change is to deny federal settlement payments (including from the Judgment Fund) when the person’s claim is based on harm from the January 6 events or from prosecution related to those events. The stated broad goal is to prevent federal funds from being used to compensate people convicted of those assaults.
Key changes:
- Who is covered: People convicted of assaulting a law enforcement officer in connection with events at or near the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
- What is barred: Federal funds may not be used to pay legal settlements to those covered individuals when the settlement claims arise from harm suffered during the January 6 events or from prosecution related to those events.
- Explicit funding target: The ban specifically includes amounts from the federal Judgment Fund.
- Scope limit: The ban applies to settlements paid with federal money; the bill does not itself say anything about private payments.
What it means for you#
- People convicted of January 6 assaults: If you are convicted as described in the bill, the federal government would not be allowed to pay a settlement to you for claims tied to harm you suffered during January 6 or claims tied to your prosecution for those events.
- People who claim harm from January 6: If you were a participant who later sued the government claiming harm from the January 6 events or from related prosecution, a settlement using federal funds would be barred if you have a qualifying conviction.
- Federal agencies and the Department of Justice: Agencies that use federal money to resolve lawsuits would be prohibited from paying settlements from federal funds to these covered individuals in the situations described.
- Taxpayers: The bill is intended to keep federal funds from being spent on these particular settlements.
- Private parties and insurers: The bill does not stop private parties or private insurance from making payments; it only restricts federal money.
Expenses#
No publicly available information.
- The bill text does not include a fiscal note or estimate of savings or costs.
- The ban specifically blocks use of the federal Judgment Fund for eligible settlements.
- This could change how much agencies pay out or whether they settle at all, which may affect litigation spending, but the bill does not provide numbers.
Proponents' View#
- The bill appears intended to prevent federal taxpayer funds from being used to compensate people convicted of assaulting law enforcement officers during the January 6 breach.
- It could be seen as protecting public money from going to individuals convicted of violent acts tied to that event.
- The provision explicitly naming the Judgment Fund suggests supporters want to close a specific route by which federal settlements are sometimes paid.
Opponents' View#
- One concern is that the bill bars federal settlements even where a civil claim might have legal merit (for example, claims of civil-rights violations or improper treatment), and the text does not carve out such exceptions.
- The bill does not clearly say how it applies when timing is mixed — for example, if a settlement is negotiated before a conviction but the conviction happens later.
- It is unclear whether the ban will increase litigation costs if agencies are less able or willing to settle, or shift costs to courts or private insurers; the bill gives no cost estimates.
- The bill only blocks federal funds; it does not prevent private settlements, which may leave gaps in how different cases are resolved.