Bill · H.R. 9706· House(119-HR-9706)
Facial Recognition to Protect Children Act
- Introduced
- 7/15/2026
- Last activity
- 7/15/2026 — Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 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.
- Sponsored by
- Josh Gottheimer
- Cosponsors
- - 5 - 4
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The "Facial Recognition to Protect Children Act" requires wagering and prediction market platforms to use facial recognition technology to verify that users are over 18 years old. It prohibits these platforms from allowing access or accepting bets from users who have not been verified this way. The bill grants the Federal Trade Commission enforcement power over these requirements. Additionally, it creates new rules for "event contracts," allowing the Commission to ban contracts based on activities like terrorism, war, or violence. It also establishes an Advisory Council on Consumer Protection and an Office of the Retail Advocate to protect individual investors.
Yes· 3 of 6
Would children be better off under this?+9
Specifically designed to protect children by preventing their access to wagering platforms through facial recognition.
Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices?+8
Establishes a Retail Advocate and an Advisory Council to protect individual investors from deceptive practices.
Does this give the federal government more power?+5
Expands the enforcement powers of the FTC and the Commission over prediction markets.
The opposite
Would business owners be better off under this?-3
Increases compliance costs and legal risks for wagering and prediction market operators.
Does this protect people from being watched or searched?-2
Requires the submission of sensitive biometric data as a prerequisite for accessing certain services.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Child Protection: By requiring facial recognition to verify age, the bill aims to prevent individuals under 18 from accessing wagering or prediction platforms (Section 2(a)(1)).
-
Data Privacy: The bill limits the collection of biometric data to only what is reasonably necessary for age verification and requires the deletion of unnecessary covered data (Section 2(a)(2)).
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Public Safety: The Commission can prohibit event contracts based on unlawful activity, terrorism, assassination, war, or violence if they are contrary to the public interest (Section 2(c)(2)(A)).
-
Investor Protection: The bill establishes the Office of the Retail Advocate to help retail participants resolve transaction problems and research issues affecting them (Section 2(c)(7)(D)).
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Marketing Transparency: It prohibits promotional materials for event contracts from deceiving the public or mentioning profits without also discussing the risk of loss (Section 2(c)(3)(A)).
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Financial Security: The bill requires the segregation of member funds from the funds of the derivatives clearing organization (Section 2(c)(5)(A)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
-
Biometric Data Collection: Users must submit "covered data," defined as biometric data that identifies them or is linkable to their identity, to access these platforms (Section 2(d)(2)).
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Financial Penalties: The Commission may establish financial penalties for designated contract markets or swap execution facilities that fail to follow standardized submission formats (Section 2(c)(2)(D)(iii)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Consumer Protection+8
- Education And Technology
- Improves Data Privacy+4Increases Big Tech Regulation+3
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Children+9Good For Business Owners-3
- Governance And Ideology
- Increases Federal Power+5Improves Government Transparency+3Improves Privacy Rights-2
- 7/15/2026
- Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 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.
- 9 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.
Robert BresnahanRepublican · Pennsylvania
Nick LaLotaRepublican · New York
Kristen McDonald RivetDemocrat · Michigan
Jimmy PanettaDemocrat · California
Darren SotoDemocrat · Florida
Thomas SuozziDemocrat · New York
Ritchie TorresDemocrat · New York
Jefferson Van DrewRepublican · New Jersey
Bruce WestermanRepublican · Arkansas