Bill · H.R. 8245· House(119-HR-8245)
GRACIE Act of 2026
- Introduced
- 4/9/2026
- Last activity
- 4/9/2026 — Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
- Sponsored by
- Ann Wagner
- Cosponsors
- - 7 - 1
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The GRACIE Act of 2026 provides grants to help States record and retain child welfare interviews. These funds are intended for State agencies that conduct interviews regarding child abuse, neglect, or crimes against children. To receive a grant, States must implement policies requiring interviews to be recorded via electronic audio, body cameras, or other reasonable means. The bill also requires these recordings to be stored for at least five years. Furthermore, the act establishes specific rules for how these recordings can be released or accessed.
Yes
Would children be better off under this?+5
The bill aims to improve the documentation of child abuse and neglect through required interview recordings.
Is this likely to lift people out of poverty?+2
The bill provides structural support for documenting child welfare issues which is a component of addressing family instability.
The opposite
Does this protect people from being watched or searched?-2
The bill mandates the collection and retention of sensitive interview recordings which increases data privacy considerations.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Recording of interviews: States receiving grants must have a statute, ordinance, policy, or practice requiring all child welfare interviews to be recorded through methods like electronic audio or body cameras (Section 2(c)(2)).
-
Access to recordings for caregivers: Recordings must be made available to a caregiver or guardian upon request in connection with a judicial proceeding, unless a court orders otherwise (Section 2(c)(3)(A)(ii)).
-
Information gathering: The bill supports the process of eliciting information regarding concerns of abuse, neglect of a child, or other crimes against a child (Section 2(e)(2)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
-
Restrictions on recording release: A copy of the recording may only be released to specific government agencies investigating an allegation or prosecuting an offense (Section 2(c)(3)(A)(i)).
-
Financial penalties: The bill requires that a penalty be imposed for violating the specific limitations placed on the release of these recordings (Section 2(c)(3)(A)(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 Children+5
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Privacy Rights-2
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Poverty Reduction+2
- 7/15/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 6/23/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 6/15/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 4/22/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 4/9/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
- 4 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in House
Nicole MalliotakisRepublican · New York
Blake MooreRepublican · Utah
Jared MoskowitzDemocrat · Florida
Burgess OwensRepublican · Utah
David SchweikertRepublican · Arizona
Elise StefanikRepublican · New York
David ValadaoRepublican · California
Beth Van DuyneRepublican · Texas