Congress·In Committee·S. 3581

No Settlements for January 6 Law Enforcement Assaulters Act

Congress Moves to Block Federal Settlement Payments to Convicted January 6 Officer Assaulters

Jan 6·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

Next up: A senate committeeNo action in 6 months

A senate committee must act next: committee consideration.

Legislative Progress

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House

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Law

Key Points

Bars the federal government from paying legal settlements to people convicted of assaulting law enforcement during the January 6, 2021 Capitol breach.
The ban applies even if the person claims they were harmed during the January 6 events or says they were harmed by being prosecuted for January 6-related crimes.
This would block using any federal money for these settlements, including money typically used to pay court judgments and settlements.
Who it hits: a narrow group—people with convictions tied to assaulting officers during the Capitol breach—rather than all January 6 defendants.
If the government can’t settle, some cases could be fought in court longer, which may affect legal costs and how quickly disputes end.

Criminal JusticeCivil Rights

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

How this policy affects specific groups of people

Negative Impacts(1)

Criminal Record

Hurts

Mixed Impacts(1)

Federal Employee

Neutral

State Impacts

District of ColumbiaDC

Mixed

The bill is tied to events at or near the U.S. Capitol and explicitly references a D.C. assault-on-police law as part of the definition of who is covered. People convicted under that D.C. code section for Jan. 6-related conduct would be included, which could reduce settlement payouts in cases linked to those events.

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Jan 6, 2026Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.

Jan 6, 2026

Introduced in Senate

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

Related News

2 articles

CBS News·Jan 6

5 years after Jan. 6 attack, Senate Democrats seek to ban taxpayer-funded payouts to Capitol rioters

Covers introduction of legislation including the No Settlements for January 6 Law Enforcement Assaulters Act to bar federal funds from paying civil settlements to Jan. 6 defendants convicted of assaulting police.

Center

The Washington Post·Jan 21

They ransacked the U.S. Capitol and want the government to pay them back

Reports on refunds and compensation demands by Jan. 6 defendants and notes legislation by Sens. Padilla and Whitehouse seeking to block government payouts to rioters, including officer assaulters.

Center Left

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