Bill · S. 3731· Senate(119-S-3731)
Cost of Police Misconduct Act of 2026
- Introduced
- 1/29/2026
- Last activity
- 1/29/2026 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- Sponsored by
- Timothy Kaine
- Cosponsors
- None
- 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 or settlements, including details like the type of allegation and the amount 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 will conduct a study on the collected data to analyze trends and provide recommendations. These requirements aim to increase transparency regarding law enforcement misconduct and its financial costs.
Yes· 3 of 4
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?+8
The bill requires the Attorney General to maintain a public, searchable database of law enforcement misconduct judgments and settlements.
Does this narrow racial gaps in how people are treated?+5
By tracking and publishing data on misconduct including racial profiling, the bill increases accountability for racial disparities in policing.
Would Black Americans be better off under this?+4
Increased transparency regarding police misconduct and settlements can aid in the oversight of disproportionate policing practices.
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 Access to Misconduct Data: The Attorney General is required to create and maintain a public, searchable database containing the reported data, which is updated annually (Section 2(e)(3)(A)).
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Public Access to State/Local Information: State or local governments must publish the information they collect regarding judgments or settlements on their respective websites (Section 2(d)(1)(B)(vi)).
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Data-Driven Improvements: The Comptroller General will carry out a study to determine leading causes of judgments and settlements and provide recommendations on how agencies may reduce misconduct (Section 2(e)(1)(A)).
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Sharing of Best Practices: The Attorney General is required to provide best practices, created in consultation with various organizations, for methods to reduce instances of misconduct (Section 2(e)(2)(B)(ii)).
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 may face a reduction of up to 10 percent of their funds from the Byrne JAG program and/or the "Cops on the Beat" program (Section 2(d)(2)(A)).
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Redistribution of Funds: Funds withheld from non-compliant local governments will be reallocated to those that have complied with the requirements (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.
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+8
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For African Americans+4Good For Urban Residents+3
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Racial Equity+5
- 1/29/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- Introduced in Senate
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.