# 119-s-3470: Accountability for Federal Law Enforcement Act

119-s-3470, Accountability for Federal Law Enforcement Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA); status introduced (as of 2026-08-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3470
- As of: 2026-08-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-3470
- Congress: 119
- Title: Accountability for Federal Law Enforcement Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-12-15
- Sponsor: Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 12
- Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-11

## Summary

**Would hold federal law enforcement agencies legally responsible when their officers violate people's civil rights.** It defines a new "public employer" to include federal law enforcement agencies that employ or contract officers, and it creates a cause of action allowing injured people to sue those agencies even if no agency policy caused the violation or the officer asserts immunity. - Victims: People subjected to rights violations by federal officers could sue the federal agency that employed or contracted the officer for damages and other relief. - Federal agencies: Federal law enforcement agencies would face broad vicarious liability and the bill waives the United States' sovereign immunity for claims brought under this section. - Officers and remedies: Individual officers remain separately liable and can still face suits or defenses because the bill does not limit other legal remedies against officers.

## Cosponsors (12)

- Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT), 2025-12-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2025-12-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] (D-RI), 2025-12-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (D-MA), 2025-12-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR), 2025-12-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] (I-VT), 2025-12-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] (D-MA), 2025-12-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR), 2025-12-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL] (D-IL), 2026-01-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Kim, Andy [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2026-01-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] (D-IL), 2026-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI] (D-HI), 2026-04-20T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- More ability to sue federal agencies: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would let people sue the United States when a federal law officer deprives them of rights. It would define a "public employer" to include federal law enforcement agencies that employ or contract officers. The bill would apply when an officer is acting under color of law and can…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act
- 119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-s-3470 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3470)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3869)
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3470 (as of 2026-08-11).