Stop Serial Litigation Act of 2026

Michael A. Rulli

Republican · OH · Representative

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

No cosponsors on record. Bills can pass without cosponsors — this often means the sponsor introduced the bill alone, either because it's a messaging bill, a chairman's mark, or simply early in the legislative cycle.

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

2026-06-11

Source: Congress.gov

This bill would cap the amount of money that lawyers and experts can be paid when they win cases against federal agencies in administrative hearings. The limits would apply to fees and expenses awarded to people who successfully challenge government decisions, potentially making it harder for individuals and small organizations to afford legal representation in disputes with federal agencies.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 9295 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 9295 To amend chapter 5 of title 5, United States Code, and chapter 161 of title 28, United States Code, to provide a maximum amount for the fees and other expenses that may be awarded in connection with an agency adjudication, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 11, 2026 Mr. Rulli introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend chapter 5 of title 5, United States Code, and chapter 161 of title 28, United States Code, to provide a maximum amount for the fees and other expenses that may be awarded in connection with an agency adjudication, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Stop Serial Litigation Act of 2026''. SEC. 2. FEES AND OTHER EXPENSES IN AGENCY ADJUDICATIONS. Section 504 of title 5, United States Code, is amended-- (1) in subsection (a)-- (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ``the actual time expended and the rate at which fees and other expenses were computed'' and inserting ``the actual total time expended, the rate at which fees and other expenses were computed, the dates on which tasks were performed, the actual time expended on each such task, and a descriptor of each such task''; and (B) by adding at the end the following: ``(5) Except in the case of an adversary adjudication conducted by the Veteran's Administration or the Social Security Administration, an award of fees and other expenses under this section may not exceed-- ``(A) in the case of a party that is an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3)) exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of such Code, $300,000 during a 1-year period; or ``(B) in the case of a party that is any owner of an unincorporated business, or any partnership, corporation, association, unit of local government, or organization, $300,000 during a 1-year period.''; and (2) in subsection (b)(1)(A), by amending subparagraph (A) to read as follows: ``(A) `fees and other expenses' includes the reasonable expenses of expert witnesses, the reasonable cost of any study, analysis, engineering report, test, or project which is found by the agency to be necessary for the preparation of the party's case, and reasonable attorney or agent fees, and the amount of fees awarded under this subsection shall be based upon prevailing market rates for the kind and quality of the services furnished, except that-- ``(i) no expert witness shall be compensated at a rate in excess of the highest rate of compensation for expert witnesses paid by the agency involved; and ``(ii) attorney or agent fees shall not be awarded in excess of-- ``(I) in the case of an adversary adjudication conducted by the Veteran's Administration or the Social Security Administration, $125 per hour, unless the agency determines by regulation that an increase in the cost of living or a special factor, such as the limited availability of qualified attorneys or agents for the proceedings involved, justifies a higher fee; or ``(II) in the case of an adversary adjudication conducted by any other agency, $175 per hour (beginning in the first fiscal year that begins 5 years after the date of enactment of the Stop Serial Litigation Act of 2026, adjusted annually for inflation to the nearest lower…

dollar increment to reflect changes for the 12-month period ending on the preceding June 30 in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor), except that the fees awarded for the adjudication of the issue of whether the position of the agency was substantially justified or that special circumstances make an award unjust shall not be awarded in excess of the amount that is half of the hourly fee otherwise awarded;''. SEC. 3. FEES AND OTHER EXPENSES IN CIVIL ACTIONS. Section 2412(d) of title 28, United States Code, is amended-- (1) in paragraph (2)-- (A) by amending subparagraph (A) to read as follows: ``(A) `fees and other expenses' includes the reasonable expenses of expert witnesses, the reasonable cost of any study, analysis, engineering report, test, or project which is found by the court to be necessary for the preparation of the party's case, and reasonable attorney fees, and the amount of fees awarded under this subsection shall be based upon prevailing market rates for the kind and quality of the services furnished, except that-- ``(i) no expert witness shall be compensated at a rate in excess of the highest rate of compensation for expert witnesses paid by the United States; and ``(ii) attorney fees shall not be awarded in excess of-- ``(I) in the case of a civil action brought by or against the Veteran's Administration or the Social Security Administration, $125 per hour unless the court determines that an increase in the cost of living or a special factor, such as the limited availability of qualified attorneys for the proceedings involved, justifies a higher fee; or ``(II) in the case of a civil action brought by or against any other agency, $175 per hour (beginning in the first fiscal year that begins 5 years after the date of enactment of the Stop Serial Litigation Act of 2026, adjusted annually for inflation to the nearest lower dollar increment to reflect changes for the 12-month period ending on the preceding June 30 in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor), except that the fees awarded for the adjudication of the issue of whether the position of the United States was substantially justified or that special circumstances make an award unjust shall not be awarded in excess of the amount that is half of the hourly fee otherwise awarded;''; and (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``the actual time expended and the rate at which fees and other expenses were computed'' and inserting ``the actual total time expended, the rate at which fees and other expenses were computed, the dates on which tasks were performed, the actual time expended on each such task, and a descriptor of each such task''; and (2) by adding at the end the following: ``(9) Except in the case of a civil action brought by or against the Veteran's Administration or the Social Security Administration, an award of fees and other expenses under this section may not exceed-- ``(A) in the case of a party that is an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3)) exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of such Code, $300,000 during a 1-year period; or ``(B) in the case of a party that is any owner of an unincorporated business, or any partnership, corporation, association, unit of local government, or organization, $300,000 during a 1-year period.''. <all>

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