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H.R. 5540

U.S. House•In House Committee

Summary

H.R. 5540, the Justice for Exonerees Act, was introduced in the House on Sep 19, 2025 by Rep. Maxine Waters (D). It was referred to Judiciary, and last saw action on Sep 19, 2025: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Record

Text

H.R. 5540 has no co-sponsors and has not gone to a roll call.

hb5540/introduced-in-house.txt
119 HR 5540 IH: Justice for Exonerees Act
 U.S. House of Representatives
 2025-09-19
 text/xml
 EN
 Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
 I  119th CONGRESS  1st Session  H. R. 5540  IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES   September 19, 2025   Ms. Waters  introduced the following bill; which was referred to the  Committee on the Judiciary    A BILL
To amend title 28, United States Code, to adjust the penalty for unjust conviction and imprisonment, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Justice for Exonerees Act  .
2.
Penalty for unjust conviction and imprisonment
Section 2513 of title 28, United States Code, is amended—
(1)
in subsection (e), by striking  $50,000  and inserting  $70,000 ; and
(2)
by adding at the end the following:
(f)
The amount of damages awarded under subsection (e) shall be adjusted for inflation annually, based on the Consumer Price Index.
 .

Tracker

The tracker indicates the progress of this legislation as it moves through the legislative process.

  1. Introduced2025-09-19
  2. Passed House
  3. Passed Senate
  4. Conference
  5. To President
  6. Became Law

CRS Summary

The summaries are the Congressional Research Service’s, one per stage. Read them in full.

Introduced in House Sep 19, 2025

hb5540/introduced-in-house.md

Shown Here:
Introduced in House (09/19/2025)

Justice for Exonerees Act

This bill increases the maximum amount of damages that an individual who was unjustly convicted and incarcerated may be awarded and requires that this amount be adjusted annually for inflation.

Sponsors

Rep. Maxine Waters (D) sponsors H.R. 5540 alone.

Committees

H.R. 5540 went before 1 committee: Judiciary.

Judiciary
Judiciary
Referred To · Sep 19, 2025 · 2,181 Bills

Actions

H.R. 5540 has taken 2 actions since Sep 19, 2025.

ChamberAction
Sep 19, 2025
House
Introduced in House
Sep 19, 2025
House
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.Judiciary Committee

Votes

H.R. 5540 has not gone to a roll call.

Titles

H.R. 5540 goes by 3 titles, 1 of them short titles.

  • Justice for Exonerees Act — Display Title
  • Justice for Exonerees Act — Short Title(s) as Introduced
  • To amend title 28, United States Code, to adjust the penalty for unjust conviction and imprisonment, and for other purposes. — Official Title as Introduced

Classification

The Congressional Research Service files H.R. 5540 under Law, one of its 31 policy areas.

CRS Subjects

CRS assigns every bill one policy area from its 31; H.R. 5540’s is Law.

hr5540/policy-areas.txt
LawAgriculture and FoodAnimalsArmed Forces and National SecurityArts, Culture, ReligionCivil Rights and Liberties, Minority IssuesCommerceCongressCrime and Law EnforcementEconomics and Public FinanceEducationEmergency ManagementEnergyEnvironmental ProtectionFamiliesFinance and Financial SectorForeign Trade and International FinanceGovernment Operations and PoliticsHealthHousing and Community DevelopmentImmigrationInternational AffairsLabor and EmploymentNative AmericansPublic Lands and Natural ResourcesScience, Technology, CommunicationsSocial WelfareSports and RecreationTaxationTransportation and Public WorksWater Resources Development

Constitutional authority

The clause the sponsor cites as Congress’s power to enact H.R. 5540, as entered in the Congressional Record.

[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 154 (Friday, September 19, 2025)][House]From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]By Ms. WATERS:H.R. 5540.Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuantto the following:Article I[Page H4490]

Source: congress.gov · legiscan.com