# 119-hr-10783: Speak Your Truth Act

119-hr-10783, Speak Your Truth Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Mace, Nancy [R-SC-1] (R-SC); status introduced (as of 2026-10-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-10783
- As of: 2026-10-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-10783
- Congress: 119
- Title: Speak Your Truth Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-10-09
- Sponsor: Rep. Mace, Nancy [R-SC-1] (R-SC)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Law
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-21

## Summary

**Creates a federal remedy that lets a prevailing defendant recover attorneys' fees and costs in defamation or libel cases about statements on sexual assault, harassment, or discrimination.** The bill defines covered "communications" as factual, non‑malicious statements about sexual misconduct, workplace harassment or discrimination, retaliation, and certain housing authority misconduct, and it caps fee awards to the fees tied to the specific claim while allowing judges to limit awards for exceptional circumstances. - Survivors and other speakers: People who share factual, non‑malicious accounts of sexual assault, harassment, or discrimination could recover reasonable attorneys' fees and costs if they are sued for defamation and prevail; those fees would be paid by the plaintiff. - Plaintiffs who bring defamation suits: Losing plaintiffs could be required to pay the defendant's legal costs, but awards cannot exceed the fees attributable to the specific position or claim and judges may reduce awards for unusual circumstances. - Courts: Judges get a statutory standard for fee awards and discretion to limit fees when payment would be unjust, shaping how defamation claims tied to misconduct allegations are handled.

## Provisions PRIA read

- Defendants could recover legal fees: mixed, low. If enacted, a defendant who prevails in a defamation or libel case filed in or removed to federal court would be able to recover reasonable attorneys' fees and court costs from the plaintiff. This would apply only when the communication is factual, made without malice, and concerns sexual assault,…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-4706: Protecting Our Farms and Homes from China Act
- 119-hr-3756: FISH Act of 2025
- 119-hr-833: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025
- 119-hr-5457: Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets Act
- 119-hr-9298: Stopping Harmful and Outrageous Torts Act
- 119-hr-740: Veterans’ ACCESS Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-10783 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/10783)

## Related
- [119-hr-4706: Protecting Our Farms and Homes from China Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4706)
- [119-hr-3756: FISH Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3756)
- [119-hr-833: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-833)
- [119-hr-5457: Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5457)
- [119-hr-9298: Stopping Harmful and Outrageous Torts Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9298)
- [119-hr-740: Veterans’ ACCESS Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-740)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-10783 (as of 2026-10-21).