H.R. 7290House119th Congress (2025-2027)In Committee

Qualified Immunity Accountability Act

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Updated April 17, 2026 at 6:22 AM UTC

The Qualified Immunity Accountability Act changes federal criminal and civil law to make it easier to hold law‑enforcement officers accountable for rights violations that lead to death. It revises the mental‑state requirement in the criminal statute that punishes deprivation of rights under color of law, removes the death‑penalty option, and clarifies that an act is a cause of death if it was a substantial factor. It also eliminates qualified‑immunity defenses for local and federal officers in civil rights lawsuits under 42 U.S.C. §1983.

Key Provisions

Amends 18 U.S.C. §242 to replace “willfully” with “knowingly or recklessly,” delete the provision allowing a death‑penalty sentence, and define “resulted in death” as a substantial factor contributing to the death.
Adds language to 42 U.S.C. §1983 that bars law‑enforcement officers (both local and federal) from using qualified‑immunity defenses based on good‑faith belief or lack of clearly established law when sued for civil‑rights violations.

Legislative Activity

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2 earlier actions

HouseIntro Referral Latest Action

Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H1989)

February 4, 2026

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

January 30, 2026

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Judiciary Committee

January 30, 2026

HouseIntro Referral

Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H1989)

February 4, 2026

Bill Text

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Introduced in HouseIssued January 30, 2026

119th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 7290

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 30, 2026

Ms. Johnson of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

A BILL

To amend title 18, United States Code, to revise the applicable standards regarding death resulting from a deprivation of rights under color of law.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Qualified Immunity Accountability Act.

Deprivation of rights under color of law

Section 242 of title 18, United States Code, is amended—

(1)

by striking willfully and inserting knowingly or recklessly;

(2)

by striking , or may be sentenced to death; and

(3)

by adding at the end the following: For purposes of this section, an act shall be considered to have resulted in death if the act was a substantial factor contributing to the death of the person..

Qualified immunity reform

Section 1979 of the Revised Statutes of the United States (42 U.S.C. 1983) is amended by adding at the end the following:

It shall not be a defense or immunity in any action brought under this section against a local law enforcement officer (as such term is defined in section 2 of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2025), or in any action under any source of law against a Federal investigative or law enforcement officer (as such term is defined in section 2680(h) of title 28, United States Code), that—

(1)

the defendant was acting in good faith, or that the defendant believed, reasonably or otherwise, that his or her conduct was lawful at the time when the conduct was committed; or

(2)

the rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws were not clearly established at the time of their deprivation by the defendant, or that at such time, the state of the law was otherwise such that the defendant could not reasonably have been expected to know whether his or her conduct was lawful.