# 117-hr-3359: Homicide Victims' Families' Rights Act of 2021

117-hr-3359, Homicide Victims' Families' Rights Act of 2021, is a 117th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Swalwell, Eric [D-CA-14] (D-CA); status became_law (as of 2026-01-05).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-3359
- As of: 2026-01-05
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 117-hr-3359
- Congress: 117
- Title: Homicide Victims' Families' Rights Act of 2021
- Status: became_law
- Introduced: 2021-05-19
- Sponsor: Rep. Swalwell, Eric [D-CA-14] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 17
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-01-05

## Summary

**Family-initiated cold case reviews** give surviving relatives and similarly situated people a formal way to ask federal law enforcement to reexamine unsolved murders and to be consulted and updated during that process. The law sets deadlines, limits on who can review or reinvestigate, and reporting requirements to track results and agency compliance. - Families: Designated family members can file a written application to request a case file review. Agencies must acknowledge receipt, explain the applicant's rights, consult with them during the review and provide periodic updates, and meet with them at the review's end. - Agencies and rules: Agencies must create a written application process and complete initial case file reviews within 6 months, with one possible extension up to 6 months if needed. The law directs agencies to issue regulations to promote compliance within 1 year and requires the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) to publish statistics beginning 3 years after enactment and then annually. - Investigations and limits: If a review finds likely probative leads the agency must conduct a full reinvestigation by someone who did not previously work the case. If no suspect is identified after a reinvestigation, no further reviews or reinvestigations occur for 5 years unless materially new evidence appears. The law applies to cold case murders from January 1, 1970 onward.

## Cosponsors (17)

- Rep. McCaul, Michael T. [R-TX-10] (R-TX), 2021-05-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Eshoo, Anna G. [D-CA-16] (D-CA), 2021-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36] (D-CA), 2021-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Escobar, Veronica [D-TX-16] (D-TX), 2021-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Gallego, Ruben [D-AZ] (D-AZ), 2021-07-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Demings, Val Butler [D-FL-10] (D-FL), 2021-07-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Sewell, Terri A. [D-AL-7] (D-AL), 2021-07-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7] (D-MA), 2021-07-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Stanton, Greg [D-AZ-4] (D-AZ), 2021-07-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Costa, Jim [D-CA-21] (D-CA), 2021-09-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2] (D-NC), 2021-10-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Sherrill, Mikie [D-NJ-11] (D-NJ), 2021-10-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Garcia, Sylvia R. [D-TX-29] (D-TX), 2021-10-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Jackson Lee, Sheila [D-TX-18] (D-TX), 2021-12-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Correa, J. Luis [D-CA-46] (D-CA), 2021-12-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1] (R-PA), 2022-03-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Williams, Nikema [D-GA-5] (D-GA), 2022-03-28T00:00:00.000Z

## Votes

| Date | Chamber | Question | Result | Yea | Nay |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2022-03-29T00:00:00.000Z | house | On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended | Passed | 406 | 20 |

## Provisions PRIA read

- Families can trigger federal cold case review: benefit, low. Immediate family or a similar person can ask a federal agency to review a cold case murder. The case must be over three years old, previously investigated by a federal agency, with all leads exhausted and no likely suspect. The agency must finish the review in six months, with one possible extensio…
- Justice Department publishes annual cold case stats: benefit, low. Beginning three years after enactment, the Justice Department publishes national cold case murder statistics every year. The reports show case circumstances, offense type, and which agency handled each case.
- Limits on info shared with families: mixed, low. Agencies may withhold case details from a designated person when sharing would risk safety, harm an active investigation, violate a court order, or break privacy laws. These limits apply during reviews and reinvestigations.
- Agencies must set complaint and discipline rules: mixed, low. Within one year, each federal agency sets rules to handle family complaints about cold case reviews and reinvestigations. The rules must name an office to take complaints, train staff, and allow discipline, including suspension or firing, for willful failures. The agency head or a designee makes th…

## Related bills

- 117-hr-1842: Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act
- 117-hr-6015: Benjamin Berell Ferencz Congressional Gold Medal Act
- 117-hr-5577: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3900 Crown Road Southwest in Atlanta, Georgia, as the "John R. Lewis Post Office Build…
- 117-hr-3642: Harlem Hellfighters Congressional Gold Medal Act
- 117-hr-2249: Willie O’Ree Congressional Gold Medal Act
- 117-hr-1620: Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2021

## Sources
- [117-hr-3359 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3359)

## Related
- [117-hr-1842: Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-1842)
- [117-hr-6015: Benjamin Berell Ferencz Congressional Gold Medal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-6015)
- [117-hr-5577: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3900 C…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-5577)
- [117-hr-3642: Harlem Hellfighters Congressional Gold Medal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-3642)
- [117-hr-2249: Willie O’Ree Congressional Gold Medal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-2249)
- [117-hr-1620: Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2021](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-1620)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-3359 (as of 2026-01-05).