Criminal Justice

in committee · United States · House Apr 16, 2026

HR 8341: DEPORT Act of 2026

The DEPORT Act of 2026 proposes changes to U.S. immigration law regarding terrorism-related offenses. It would require all naturalization applicants to attest under oath that they have not committed, have charges pending for, or intend to commit specific terrorism-related crimes. The bill also establishes new procedures for denaturalizing U.S. citizens, allowing convictions or credible evidence of these offenses to be used as grounds for revoking citizenship, with certain presumptions of illegal procurement. Furthermore, it would make individuals convicted of such offenses inadmissible to the U.S., deportable if denaturalized, ineligible for most immigration benefits, and permanently barred from future admission. These provisions directly affect naturalization applicants, naturalized citizens, and aliens seeking admission or other immigration benefits.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill strengthens national security by tightening naturalization requirements and enabling denaturalization for terrorism-related offenses, enhancing criminal justice oversight.85% confidence ✗ ImmigrationOpposes ImmigrationBill restricts immigration by adding terrorism-related offenses as grounds for denaturalization, limiting citizenship protections for immigrants.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Citizenship & Naturalization Detention Enforcement

Track

in committee · United States · House Mar 3, 2026

HR 7766: Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act

The Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act reforms the Department of Defense's 1033 program, which transfers surplus military equipment to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The bill prohibits the transfer of specific military-grade items, including controlled firearms (like automatic weapons), ammunition, grenades, mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles, and silencers. For any permitted transfers, non-federal agencies must notify their local community, get approval from their local governing body, and certify the equipment's necessity for specific public safety or emergency purposes. The bill also mandates increased accountability for all transferred property, prohibits agencies from taking ownership, and requires the return of equipment if an agency is involved in widespread civil liberties abuses using that property.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill restricts military equipment transfers to law enforcement, enhancing police accountability and protecting civil rights by limiting militarization.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Firearms Law Enforcement

Track

in committee · United States · House Apr 16, 2026

HR 8353: FAITH Act

The FAITH Act establishes new federal crimes related to financial obligations and religious participation. It prohibits knowingly imposing or collecting mandatory fees, fines, or other financial obligations from individuals based on their membership in, or refusal to join, any religious organization. The bill also makes it illegal to deny goods, services, or opportunities to a person for not paying such prohibited fees, with penalties including fines and imprisonment for violators. Importantly, it clarifies that religious organizations can still request and receive voluntary contributions from their members. Finally, the act includes these new offenses under federal racketeering laws.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill protects civil rights by prohibiting religious discrimination in financial obligations, aligning with criminal justice reform principles of protecting individual rights.75% confidence

Track

in committee · United States · House Apr 16, 2026

HR 8360: Commission on Advancing Restorative Justice in Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 2026

This bill establishes the Interagency Advisory Commission on Advancing Restorative Justice in Elementary and Secondary Education, affecting elementary and secondary schools, their personnel, and students, particularly students of color. The Commission is tasked with developing guidelines for tracking restorative practices and creating official definitions for "restorative justice" and "restorative practices" for the Department of Education. It will also develop and distribute training materials to school personnel aimed at reducing bias, enhancing cultural competency, and improving responses to student behavior. Furthermore, the Commission will work to increase school staff's ability to provide culturally competent mental health support and recommend ideal school psychologist and counselor-to-student ratios for federally funded schools. The Commission will submit annual reports on its progress and a final report with its comprehensive findings and recommendations.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill promotes restorative justice in education, which aligns with criminal justice reform goals by focusing on rehabilitation and reducing punitive measures for students.85% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill establishes commission to advance restorative justice in schools, developing guidelines and training to improve student outcomes and school climate.85% confidence

Sub-Topics School Safety Student Health

Track

in committee · United States · House Apr 2, 2026

HR 8179: FETCH Act of 2026

The FETCH Act of 2026 expands funding from federal Byrne grants to support police dog programs across the United States. This legislation allows law enforcement agencies to use these funds for acquiring, training, and caring for police dogs, including expenses for veterinary care, medications, food, equipment, and housing. The bill also permits funding for retired service dogs, covering post-service medical needs and administrative costs. Directly affected entities are police departments that operate K9 units and seek financial assistance for canine-related operational expenses. The act amends existing federal crime control statutes to explicitly include police dog programs as eligible uses of Byrne grant money.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill expands federal funding for police dog programs, strengthening law enforcement capabilities and supporting criminal justice operations through enhanced resources.75% confidence

Sub-Topics Law Enforcement Policing

Track

in committee · United States · House Mar 26, 2026

HR 8093: Privacy Protection Updates Act

The Privacy Protection Updates Act strengthens legal protections for journalists and others by expanding restrictions on how government agencies can search for or seize their materials. The bill requires law enforcement to obtain warrants and fully disclose factual justifications and target identities when applying for permission to access covered materials, with limited exceptions for urgent situations that still require court review within 48 hours. It also clarifies that materials stored on cloud services are considered possessed by the customer or subscriber, ensuring these protections apply to digital communications. Additionally, the act establishes an exclusionary rule that prevents illegally obtained materials from being used in legal proceedings and allows affected parties to challenge searches or seizures in court. These changes directly impact government investigators, journalists, and individuals whose communications or records might be subject to search warrants.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill enhances police accountability by requiring warrants and disclosure for searches, protecting civil rights and journalist protections within criminal justice framework75% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyBill strengthens privacy protections for journalists and requires warrants with disclosure for government searches, advancing digital rights and data privacy.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Courts Law Enforcement

Track

in committee · United States · House Apr 15, 2026

HR 8010: VA Police Recruitment and Retention Act of 2026

This bill, the VA Police Recruitment and Retention Act of 2026, prevents federal officials from lowering the pay grade or status of law enforcement positions within the Department of Veterans Affairs. It directly affects VA police officers and other law enforcement staff by blocking any proposed position downgrades and ensuring that no federal funds can be used for such reductions. The law also requires that any downgrades made between October 1, 2025, and the bill's enactment be reversed, restoring affected positions to their previous status and ensuring employees receive the pay they would have earned. By defining covered positions broadly to include all law enforcement roles regardless of funding source or employment type, the measure aims to protect the compensation levels of these workers from administrative reductions.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill protects law enforcement positions and prevents pay downgrades, strengthening VA police recruitment and retention.85% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill protects law enforcement workers' pay grades and prevents downgrades, directly safeguarding wages and employment conditions.90% confidence ✓ VeteransSupports VeteransBill protects VA police positions from pay downgrades, ensuring stable employment and benefits for veteran law enforcement staff.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Law Enforcement Policing Veteran Employment Veteran Healthcare

Track

in committee · United States · House Mar 25, 2026

HR 8077: 287(g) Cooperation Act of 2026

This bill, the 287(g) Cooperation Act of 2026, requires state and local law enforcement agencies to sign a formal agreement with the Department of Homeland Security to remain eligible for federal Community Oriented Policing Services grants. The law mandates that agencies must have this written memorandum of agreement in place within 180 days of the bill's enactment, or they will be ineligible to receive funding for the program. The Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Security must establish procedures to verify that agencies have completed this agreement before approving any grant awards. The changes apply to grant applications starting with fiscal year 2027 and all subsequent years.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeBill ties federal funding to 287(g) agreements, which expand immigration enforcement powers to local police, potentially increasing criminalization of immigrants and reducing civil liberties.75% confidence ✗ ImmigrationOpposes ImmigrationBill mandates state/local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, restricting immigrant protections and increasing enforcement capacity.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Law Enforcement Border Security Enforcement Sanctuary Policies

Track

in committee · United States · Senate Dec 4, 2025

S 3354: QUIET Act

S 3354, the QUIET Act, requires anyone making robocalls or text messages using artificial intelligence to mimic a human to disclose at the start that AI is being used. It directly affects businesses, marketers, or scammers using AI for automated calls/texts that sound human, but excludes calls needing substantial human input. The bill adds enhanced penalties, doubling maximum fines for violations involving AI impersonation intended to defraud or cause harm. These provisions amend federal law to increase transparency and strengthen consequences for deceptive AI-driven communications.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill enhances penalties for AI fraud and impersonation, strengthening law enforcement tools against emerging criminal threats.75% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyMandates disclosure for AI-generated calls/texts to prevent deception and fraud, enhancing consumer protection in digital communications per regulatory indicators.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Artificial Intelligence Telecommunications

Track

in committee · United States · House Mar 19, 2026

HR 7997: Research and Oversight of AI in Courts Act of 2026

This bill establishes a task force to study how artificial intelligence speech-to-text and automatic speech recognition technologies are used in federal and state courts across the United States. The 15-member group, composed of government officials, legal experts, and technology specialists, will examine issues like accuracy, privacy, civil liberties, and costs associated with these AI tools in judicial proceedings. Within 18 months of enactment, the task force must submit a final report to Congress detailing its findings on whether AI affects court record quality, impacts individuals with speech impediments, creates cybersecurity risks, and recommends any necessary policy changes. The task force will also provide quarterly status updates to congressional committees and will dissolve once its final report is submitted.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill establishes oversight of AI in courts to examine accuracy, privacy, and civil liberties, enhancing judicial accountability and protecting defendant rights.85% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyBill establishes oversight task force to study AI use in courts, examining accuracy, privacy, and civil liberties to ensure responsible technology deployment in judicial proceedings.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Courts Artificial Intelligence Cybersecurity

Track