# 119-hr-5477: Litigation Reimbursement Act

119-hr-5477, Litigation Reimbursement Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. McCormick, Richard [R-GA-7] (R-GA); status introduced (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5477
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-5477
- Congress: 119
- Title: Litigation Reimbursement Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-09-18
- Sponsor: Rep. McCormick, Richard [R-GA-7] (R-GA)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Law
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Mandatory fee-shifting** is the bill’s core change. It would require courts to award reasonable attorneys' fees and litigation costs to non‑government parties in federal criminal trials that go to verdict and do not result in a conviction, and it would make fee awards under the Equal Access to Justice Act mandatory in covered civil cases. - People accused in federal criminal trials who go to trial and are not convicted would be entitled to court-ordered repayment of attorneys' fees and other litigation expenses. The bill updates an existing 1998 provision and ties eligibility to cases pending on or after the Act's enactment and to fiscal year 2026. - Nonfederal parties who prevail in civil cases under the Equal Access to Justice Act would automatically receive costs and fees instead of relying on a judge's discretion. - The federal government would face more mandatory payouts because courts must award fees in these criminal and civil situations rather than treating awards as discretionary.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Ezell, Mike [R-MS-4] (R-MS), 2025-09-18T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Civil cases: required fee awards: benefit, medium. If enacted, courts would be required to award costs and attorney fees under the Equal Access to Justice Act. The bill changes "may be awarded" to "shall be awarded" in the law. You could receive these fees if you are a prevailing party covered by 28 U.S.C. 2412. This would take effect upon enactmen…
- Legal fees after a non-conviction verdict: benefit, medium. If enacted, courts would have to award your attorney fees and costs if you win at a federal criminal trial and the verdict is not a conviction. Awards would go to the prevailing party, not the United States. This would apply only to cases that go to trial. It would cover cases pending on or after t…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-4275: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-137: TCJA Permanency Act
- 119-hr-5089: Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7613: ALERT Act
- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-5477 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5477)

## Related
- [119-hr-4275: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4275)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-137: TCJA Permanency Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-137)
- [119-hr-5089: Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5089)
- [119-hr-7613: ALERT Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7613)
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5477 (as of 2026-04-21).