1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Volunteer Organization Protection Act of 2017 . 2. Liability protection for organization or entity The Volunteer Protection Act of 1997, Public Law 105–19 , is amended as follows: (1) In section 3(a), by inserting after relating to volunteers the following: or volunteer nonprofit organizations . (2) In section 3(b), in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting after against a volunteer the following: or a volunteer nonprofit organization . (3) In section 4, in the heading, by inserting and volunteer nonprofit organizations after volunteers . (4) In section 4, by amending subsection (c) to read as follows: (c) Liability protection for organization or entity (1) No volunteer nonprofit organization shall be liable for harm caused by an act or omission of a volunteer on behalf of the organization unless— (A) the organization would be liable for the act or omission under generally applicable laws governing the direct or vicarious liability of organizations; and (B) the organization itself has expressly authorized the specific conduct constituting the act or omission. (2) Notwithstanding section 4(c)(1), no volunteer nonprofit organization shall be liable for harm caused by an act or omission of the organization or of a volunteer acting on behalf of the organization if— (A) the organization or the volunteer engaged in the act or omission at the request of or pursuant to an authorization by a State or the United States or any agency or subdivision of either; and (B) either— (i) the requesting or authorizing governmental entity would have been immune either from suit or from liability in damages if it had engaged in the acts or omissions itself or through employees or independent contractors