PRIVACY Act

Sponsor: Keith Self (Republican-TX)July 15, 2026

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Introduced

In Committee

Passed One Chamber

Passed Both Chambers

Signed into Law

Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Federal agencies would need a warrant to use local police surveillance data.

Federal police would need a judge's approval to use certain surveillance information from state or local police. This bill would also stop federal money from buying these types of surveillance tools. The goal is to protect people's privacy by making sure federal agencies follow warrant rules when using local surveillance.

What Would Change

Today, federal law enforcement agencies may have more flexibility in accessing surveillance data collected by state or local agencies, potentially without a federal warrant. After this bill, federal agencies would generally need a warrant from a federal judge to access data from a specific list of state or local surveillance devices, and federal funds would be prohibited from buying these devices.

Key Provisions

Requires federal law enforcement agencies to get a warrant from a federal judge before accessing certain surveillance data from state or local agencies.
Creates a "Jurisdictional Wall List" of surveillance devices, like license plate readers and continuous cameras, that state and local agencies use.
Bans federal money from being used to buy or install surveillance devices that are on the "Jurisdictional Wall List."
Limits how long federal agencies can keep surveillance data obtained with a warrant, generally to 30 days.
Prevents surveillance data obtained without a warrant or kept too long from being used as evidence in federal court.
Allows individuals to sue the government if federal agencies illegally obtain their surveillance data.

View on Congress.gov

HR 9716 · 119th Congress · July 15, 2026 · AI Summary by gemini-2.5-flash · 10/10

PRIVACY Act

What Would Change

Key Provisions

Lobbying Activity