Ensuring Justice for Camp Lejeune Victims Act of 2025

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4145 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4145

    To amend the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 to make technical 
                              corrections.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 25, 2025

 Mr. Murphy (for himself, Ms. Ross, Ms. Tenney, Mr. Knott, Mr. Hudson, 
 Mr. Rouzer, Mr. Harrigan, Mr. Moore of North Carolina, Mr. McDowell, 
Mr. Haridopolos, Mr. Davis of North Carolina, Mrs. Foushee, Ms. Adams, 
Mr. Magaziner, Mr. Neguse, Mr. Ruiz, Ms. Hoyle of Oregon, Mr. Golden of 
   Maine, Mr. Conaway, Mr. Cohen, Ms. Mace, Mr. Barr, and Mr. Ivey) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                             the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 to make technical 
                              corrections.

    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 ``Ensuring Justice for Camp Lejeune 
Victims Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS TO THE CAMP LEJEUNE JUSTICE ACT OF 2022.

    Section 804 of the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 (28 U.S.C. 2671 
note prec.) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) by striking ``in the United States District 
                Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina'';
            (2) by amending subsection (c) to read as follows:
    ``(c) Burdens and Standard of Proof.--
            ``(1) In general.--The party filing an action under this 
        section shall be entitled to appropriate relief upon showing--
                    ``(A) the existence of 1 or more relationships 
                between the type of contaminant in any water at Camp 
                Lejeune and the type of harm suffered by the individual 
                harm; and
                    ``(B) that the individual was present at Camp 
                Lejeune for a period of not less than 30 days, whether 
                or not consecutive.
            ``(2) Evidentiary standards.--To meet the causal 
        relationship described in paragraph (1), a party shall produce 
        evidence showing that the relationship between exposure to any 
        level of contaminants of a type in any water at Camp Lejeune 
        and the type of harm is--
                    ``(A) sufficient to conclude that a causal 
                relationship exists; or
                    ``(B) sufficient to conclude that a causal 
                relationship is at least as likely as not.'';
            (3) by amending subsection (d) to read as follows:
    ``(d) Exclusive Jurisdiction and Venue.--
            ``(1) In general.--The United States District Court for the 
        Eastern District of North Carolina shall have exclusive 
        jurisdiction and venue for coordinated or consolidated pretrial 
        administrative and procedural matters and resolution over any 
        action filed under subsection (b).
            ``(2) Transfer.--A party filing an action under subsection 
        (b) may transfer such action to any district court of the 
        Eastern, Middle or Western Districts of North Carolina or the 
        District of South Carolina for pretrial and trial of such 
        action, including the adjudication of all evidentiary motions.
            ``(3) Jury trial.--Any action against the United States 
        under subsection (b) shall, at the request of either party to 
        such action, be tried by the court with a jury.
            ``(4) Expedited disposition.--The court shall advance an 
        action filed under subsection (b) on the docket, and expedite 
        the disposition of such action to the greatest extent 
        possible.''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(k) Attorney Fees.--
            ``(1) In general.--The total amount of attorneys fees under 
        this section shall be in an amount that is not more than--
                    ``(A) 20 percent of any settlement entered into 
                before a civil action under subsection (b) is 
                commenced; or
                    ``(B) 25 percent of any judgement rendered or 
                settlement entered into after a civil action under 
                subsection (b) is commenced.
            ``(2) Division of fees.--A division of a fee under 
        paragraph (1) between attorneys who are not in the same firm 
        may be made only if the division is in proportion to the 
        services performed by each attorney.
            ``(3) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this subsection 
        shall prohibit an individual or the legal representative of an 
        individual and such individual's or representative's attorney 
        from agreeing to a fee award that is less than the maximum 
        percentage specified in paragraph (1).''.

SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    This Act and the amendments made by this Act shall take effect as 
if enacted on August 10, 2022, and shall apply to any claim or action 
under section 804 of the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 that is 
pending on, or filed on or after, the date of enactment of this Act.

SEC. 4. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

    Nothing in this Act or an amendment made by this Act shall be 
construed to modify the applicability or statute of limitations 
provisions under section 804(j) of the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 
(28 U.S.C. 2671 note prec.).
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