About the bill
H.R. 720 amends Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure to improve attorney accountability by restoring mandatory sanctions for filing frivolous lawsuits, in an effort to protect individuals and businesses from unnecessary legal costs. Specifically, the bill:
(1) restores mandatory sanctions for filing frivolous lawsuits in violation of Rule 11;
(2) removes Rule 11’s ‘‘safe harbor’’ provision that currently allows parties and their attorneys to avoid sanctions for making frivolous claims by withdrawing frivolous claims after a motion for sanctions has been filed; and,
(3) requires monetary sanctions, including attorneys’ fees and compensatory costs, against any party making a frivolous claim.
The bill also specifies that nothing contained within ‘‘shall be construed to bar or impede the assertion or development of new claims, defenses, or remedies under Federal, …
Sponsor and status
115th Congress (2017–2019)
This bill was introduced in a previous session of Congress and was passed by the House on March 10, 2017 but was never passed by the Senate.
Although this bill was not enacted, its provisions could have become law by being included in another bill. It is common for legislative text to be introduced concurrently in multiple bills (called companion bills), re-introduced in subsequent sessions of Congress in new bills, or added to larger bills (sometimes called omnibus bills).
7 Cosponsors (7 Republicans)
Position statements
What legislators are saying
“U.S. House votes to put teeth back in Rule 11 sanctions”
—
Rep. Lamar Smith [R-TX21, 1987-2018]
(Sponsor)
on Mar 10, 2017
“House Passes Legislation to Hold Lawyers Accountable for Frivolous Lawsuits”
—
Rep. Bob Goodlatte [R-VA6, 1993-2018]
(Co-sponsor)
on Mar 10, 2017
“Torres Calls for Security and Improved Wait Times at Air, Land, and Sea Ports”
—
Rep. Norma Torres [D-CA35]
on Apr 9, 2018
History
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Sep 14, 2004
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Earlier Version —
Passed House (Senate next)
This activity took place on a related bill, H.R. 4571 (108th). |
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Oct 27, 2005
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Earlier Version —
Passed House (Senate next)
This activity took place on a related bill, H.R. 420 (109th). |
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Jul 7, 2011
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Earlier Version —
Ordered Reported
This activity took place on a related bill, H.R. 966 (112th). |
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Nov 14, 2013
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Earlier Version —
Passed House (Senate next)
This activity took place on a related bill, H.R. 2655 (113th). |
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Sep 17, 2015
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Earlier Version —
Passed House (Senate next)
This activity took place on a related bill, H.R. 758 (114th). |
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Jan 30, 2017
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Introduced
Bills and resolutions are referred to committees which debate the bill before possibly sending it on to the whole chamber. |
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Feb 2, 2017
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Considered by House Committee on the Judiciary
A committee held a hearing or business meeting about the bill.
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Feb 24, 2017
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Reported by House Committee on the Judiciary
A committee issued a report on the bill, which often provides helpful explanatory background on the issue addressed by the bill and the bill's intentions. |
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Mar 10, 2017
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Passed House (Senate next)
The bill was passed in a vote in the House. It goes to the Senate next. |
H.R. 720 (115th) was a bill in the United States Congress.
A bill must be passed by both the House and Senate in identical form and then be signed by the President to become law.
Bills numbers restart every two years. That means there are other bills with the number H.R. 720. This is the one from the 115th Congress.
This bill was introduced in the 115th Congress, which met from Jan 3, 2017 to Jan 3, 2019. Legislation not passed by the end of a Congress is cleared from the books.
How to cite this information.
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“H.R. 720 — 115th Congress: Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act of 2017.” www.GovTrack.us. 2017. September 26, 2023 <https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr720>
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Where is this information from?
GovTrack automatically collects legislative information from a variety of governmental and non-governmental sources. This page is sourced primarily from Congress.gov, the official portal of the United States Congress. Congress.gov is generally updated one day after events occur, and so legislative activity shown here may be one day behind. Data via the congress project.
