Federal Tort Claims Act

Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946

Long title	To provide for increased efficiency in the legislative branch of the Government.
Enacted by	the 79th United States Congress
Effective	August 2, 1946; 78 years ago (1946-08-02)
Citations
Public law	Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 79–601
Statutes at Large	60 Stat. 812 through 60 Stat. 852 (40 pages)
Legislative history
Signed into law by President Harry S. Truman on August 2, 1946
United States Supreme Court cases
Feres v. United States Millbrook v. United States

The Federal Tort Claims Act (August 2, 1946, ch. 646, Title IV, 60 Stat. 812, 28 U.S.C. Part VI, Chapter 171 and 28 U.S.C. § 1346) ("FTCA") is a 1946 federal statute that permits private parties to sue the United States in a federal court for most torts committed by persons acting on behalf of the United States. Historically, citizens have not been able to sue the government — a doctrine referred to as sovereign immunity. The FTCA constitutes a limited waiver of sovereign immunity by the United States, permitting citizens to pursue some tort claims against the federal government. It was passed and enacted as a part of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946.