This bill creates a financial incentive for states and local governments to maintain or adopt strong qualified immunity protections for law enforcement officers. Specifically, it requires states and municipalities to certify that their laws provide law enforcement with at least the level of qualified immunity established by the Supreme Court in Saucier v. Katz before they can receive federal grant funding under two programs: the Community Development Block Grant Program and the Community Facility Loans program under agriculture law. The requirement takes effect in the first fiscal year after the bill is enacted. Any state or local government that does not meet this qualified immunity standard would lose eligibility for these federal grants, effectively using federal funding as leverage to shape state and local liability laws for police officers. The bill does not specify new funding amounts, as it works by conditioning existing grant programs on compliance with the immunity requirement.
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