Bring Our Heroes Home Act

Increased Transparency for Families: The Act seeks to provide families of missing individuals with the fullest possible accounting regarding the fate of their loved ones through the public disclosure of records (Section 2(a)(1), Section 2(b)(2)).

Creation of a Centralized Historical Resource: A new "Missing Armed Forces and Civilian Personnel Records Collection" will be established at the National Archives to preserve records for historical and governmental purposes and public research (Section 2(a)(1), Section 4(a)(1)).

Accountability for Government Offices: Government offices must conduct thorough searches and submit certifications under penalty of perjury to ensure all relevant records are identified and transmitted (Section 5(a)(1), Section 5(a)(2)).

Mechanism to Challenge Withheld Information: The Review Board has the authority to direct government offices to transmit records and can review decisions where a government office proposes to withhold or substantially redact information (Section 5(a)(5), Section 7(j)).

Efforts to Unseal Important Records: The Act allows the Review Board to request that the Attorney General petition courts to release information held under seal or under grand jury secrecy that is relevant to the fate of missing personnel (Section 10(a)).

Risk to National Security: The Act allows for the postponement of disclosure if the information pertains to sensitive areas such as military plans, weapons systems, intelligence activities, or nuclear security (Section 6(a)(1)).

Potential Impact on Foreign Relations: Disclosure could be postponed if it is expected to cause serious harm to relations between the United States and foreign governments (Section 6(b)(1)(D)).

Privacy and Safety Concerns: Information may be withheld if its disclosure would reveal the identity of a confidential human source and pose a substantial risk of harm, or if it constitutes an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy (Section 6(c)(1), Section 6(c)(2)).

Operational Risks to Personnel: Disclosure could be postponed if it is expected to cause harm to methods used by members of the Armed Forces to survive, evade, resist, or escape (Section 6(c)(3)).