Bill · H.R. 7278· House(119-HR-7278)
Cost of Police Misconduct Act of 2026
- Introduced
- 1/30/2026
- Last activity
- 1/30/2026 — Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- Sponsored by
- Donald Beyer
- Cosponsors
- - 2 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Cost of Police Misconduct Act of 2026 requires Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies to report information regarding allegations of misconduct to the Attorney General. Federal agencies must collect and report data on judgments and settlements, including officer demographics, types of allegations, and total amounts paid. State and local governments that receive Byrne JAG program funds are also required to collect and report similar information. The Attorney General is tasked with creating a public, searchable database to house this information. Additionally, the Comptroller General must conduct a study on the collected data to analyze causes and trends. This information is intended to increase transparency regarding law enforcement misconduct and its financial impact.
Yes· 3 of 11
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?+8
The bill significantly increases government transparency by mandating a public, searchable database of law enforcement misconduct judgments and settlements.
Does this change how police departments operate?+7
The bill enhances policing reform by establishing a national database of misconduct settlements and requiring the Attorney General to issue best practices for reducing such incidents.
Would Black Americans be better off under this?+3
The bill provides increased accountability for law enforcement actions that disproportionately affect minority communities.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Increased Transparency: The Attorney General must identify all Federal law enforcement agencies and make that list available on a Department of Justice website (Section 2(b)).
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Public Accountability: The Act requires the creation of a public, searchable database containing data on judgments and settlements related to misconduct (Section 2(e)(3)(A)).
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Information Accessibility: State and local governments must publish their collected information on their respective websites (Section 2(d)(1)(B)(vi)).
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Data-Driven Insights: The Comptroller General will conduct a study to determine the leading causes of judgments and settlements and provide recommendations to reduce misconduct (Section 2(e)(1)(A)).
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Best Practices Development: The Attorney General will prepare reports that include best practices for reducing misconduct, created in consultation with professional and civil rights organizations (Section 2(e)(2)(B)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Financial Penalties for Local Governments: State or local governments that fail to comply with the reporting requirements can face a reduction of up to 10 percent of their Byrne JAG program funds or "Cops on the Beat" program funds (Section 2(d)(2)(A)).
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Redirection of Funds: Money withheld from non-compliant State or local governments will be reallocated to those that have complied with the Act (Section 2(d)(2)(B)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For African Americans+3Good For Asian Americans+3Good For Hispanic Americans+3Good For Native Americans+3Good For Urban Residents+3Good For People With Disabilities+2Good For White Americans+2
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Policing Reform+7Improves Racial Equity+3
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+8
- Economy And Finance
- Reduces Government Spending+2
- 1/30/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in House
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Jennifer McClellanDemocrat · Virginia
Eleanor NortonDemocrat · District of Columbia