# 119-s-3983: End Foreign Abuse of United States Courts Act

119-s-3983, End Foreign Abuse of United States Courts Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH] (D-NH); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3983
- 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-3983
- Congress: 119
- Title: End Foreign Abuse of United States Courts Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-03-04
- Sponsor: Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH] (D-NH)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Law
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-11

## Summary

**Expedited dismissal of foreign-actor SLAPPs** would create a federal procedure to quickly toss lawsuits filed by certain foreign governments or foreign-controlled actors that aim to silence political speech in the United States. The bill defines which countries and foreign persons are covered and what counts as protected speech or political activity. - People and organizations sued over covered political speech could file a special motion to dismiss that stays related proceedings and limits discovery. The motion must be filed within 60 days and the court must rule within 90 days. - Federal courts would get specific removal and remand rules and an immediate interlocutory appeal right if the special motion is denied. Prevailing defendants are presumptively entitled to reasonable attorney fees and costs. - The bill spells out who is a "covered country" or "covered foreign person" and allows fees, costs, and punitive damages against foreign actors, while excluding claims by U.S. government actors, ordinary commercial sale or lease disputes tied to the communication, and claims for bodily injury or wrongful death.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Cassidy, Bill [R-LA] (R-LA), 2026-03-04T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Certain claims excluded from process: benefit, low. The bill would exclude three claim types from the chapter. It would not apply when the defendant mainly sells or leases goods and the communication arises from that sale or lease. It would not apply to claims by U.S. Government actors acting in an official capacity or under color of law. It would n…
- Easier federal removal and appeals: benefit, low. If enacted, defendants who file a colorable special motion could remove a case to federal court without state-citizenship rules. Removal would still require a Rule 11 signature. If a district court later denies the special motion in whole, the case would be remanded to state court. The bill would a…
- Fast dismissal for foreign-actor suits: benefit, low. The bill would create a special motion to dismiss for covered claims. A movant must give 5 days' written notice and file the motion within 60 days after service or removal. Filing would stay related proceedings, allow only limited discovery for good cause, and require the court to rule within 90 da…
- Attorney fees and punitive damages: mixed, medium. This bill would create a rebuttable presumption that a winning movant can recover reasonable attorney fees and costs. It would allow courts to award punitive damages if a claim was used to harass or needlessly increase litigation costs. Punitive awards would be limited to the amount needed to deter…
- New rules apply to future claims: mixed, low. The bill would take effect on the date of enactment and apply to any claim filed on or after that date. That would be true even if the events happened before enactment. Claims filed before the enactment date would not be changed by this chapter.
- Who counts as a covered foreign actor: mixed, low. The bill would define which countries and people are 'covered.' A covered country would include those on the foreign-adversary list or those the Secretary of State finds file frivolous suits to chill speech. A covered foreign person would include citizens of those countries who are not lawful perma…

## Related bills

- 119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act
- 119-s-202: Helping Small Businesses THRIVE Act
- 119-s-3257: John A. Hauser Mental Health in Aviation Act
- 119-s-2647: International Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2025
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-s-3983 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3983)

## Related
- [119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4744)
- [119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1748)
- [119-s-202: Helping Small Businesses THRIVE Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-202)
- [119-s-3257: John A. Hauser Mental Health in Aviation Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3257)
- [119-s-2647: International Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2647)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3983 (as of 2026-08-11).