Chip Roy unveils bill to let Americans sue COVID-19 vaccine makers over injury, negative effects

FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, is unveiling a new bill on Tuesday that would allow Americans to sue COVID-19 vaccine makers over adverse health effects allegedly caused by the shot.

The Let Injured Americans Be Legally Empowered (LIABLE) Act is aimed at wiping away COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers’ statutory protections, opening them up to civil lawsuits.

A summary of the bill obtained by Fox News Digital said, "The LIABLE Act will allow Americans who took vaccines that were misleadingly promoted and forced onto many Americans via federal mandates to pursue civil litigation for their injuries. These vaccines were given emergency use authorization unilaterally and did not go through the normal FDA approval process."

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Rep. Chip Roy is unveiling a new bill aimed at allowing people to sue over COVID-19 vaccine side effects. (Getty Images)

Currently, manufacturers and health care providers responsible for distributing COVID-19 vaccines are mostly immune from civil lawsuits, even if those seeking money damages have medical proof of their vaccine-related injuries.

That’s because the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act of 2005 limits liability for the manufacturing, development and distribution of medical countermeasures related to a public health emergency.

The PREP Act also created the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP), which has a one-year statute of limitations and only provides compensation in the event of death or serious injury. According to Roy, CICP has compensated people just 11 times despite thousands of claims lodged.

"Millions of Americans were forced to take a COVID-19 shot out of fear of losing their livelihoods and under false pretenses," Roy told Fox News Digital. "Many have faced injury from the vaccine, but few have been afforded…recourse. To date, a mere 11 injury claims have been paid out despite nearly 700 million doses of the vaccine having been administered."

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Republicans have argued that COVID-19 vaccine mandates are unconstitutional. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

Despite the public health emergency declaration for the COVID-19 pandemic expiring last May, PREP Act liability protections for the vaccine are expected to mostly last through the end of this year, according to a report by the Congressional Research Service. 

Roy’s LIABLE Act would allow Americans claiming to be injured from the vaccine to retroactively sue manufacturers despite the aforementioned protections.

While credited with saving countless lives during the pandemic, the COVID-19 vaccine has also been blamed by critics for side effects such as blood clots, strokes and even sudden death. 

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Trump administration Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar first labeled COVID-19 a public health emergency. (Pete Marovich/Getty Images)

Many of these cases still require further study, but it’s a trend that’s alarmed Republican lawmakers who have long said mandating the COVID-19 vaccine is a violation of Americans’ right to privacy.

Andrew Powaleny, PhRMA spokesperson, criticized the bill in a statement to Fox News Digital.

"COVID-19 has been a reminder of why we need safe and effective vaccines. All vaccines, including those for COVID-19, are subject to a rigorous safety and efficacy review process and post-market monitoring. By upending the existing liability framework manufacturers rely upon to provide predictable vaccine development, our ability to address future public health threats will be at risk," he said.

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Roy has led the charge against those vaccine mandates, including leading efforts to roll back COVID-19 vaccine mandates in the U.S. military.

His latest bill has at least a dozen House GOP co-sponsors.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of Health and Human Services for comment.