This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process after being sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee for review. No further actions or hearings have been scheduled at this time. The bill is considered active but is not moving quickly.
Legislative Progress
✓ Senate
House
President
Law
Likely to pass
This bill has strong support from both Republican and Democratic leaders on the Judiciary Committee and addresses a practical problem for the court system.
Key Points
This bill doubles the minimum amount of money a lawsuit must be worth to be heard in federal court when the people involved are from different states. Currently, the limit is $75,000, but this would raise it to $150,000.
The goal is to keep smaller cases in state courts and reduce the workload for federal judges. This change reflects how much the value of a dollar has changed since the last time the limit was set in the late 1990s.
Starting in 2030, the dollar limit will automatically update every ten years based on inflation. This ensures the threshold keeps up with the rising cost of living without needing a new law to be passed every time.
If someone files a case in federal court but wins less than the $150,000 minimum, the judge has the power to make them pay for the other side's legal costs. This rule is meant to encourage people to file their cases in the correct court from the start.
Impact Analysis
Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.
Milestones
4 milestones8 actions
Aug 10, 2026House
Held at the desk.
Aug 10, 2026House
Received in the House.
The House has received the Senate-passed bill and will decide whether to take it up.
Aug 10, 2026Senate
Message on Senate action sent to the House.
Aug 7, 2026Senate
Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S4550-4551; text: CR S4551)
The Senate voted to approve this bill. If the House already passed it, it goes to the President.
Aug 7, 2026
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
The Senate voted to approve this bill. If the House already passed it, it goes to the President.
No votes, news coverage, or related bills recorded for this bill yet.
