# 119-hr-2718: Family Notification of Death, Injury, or Illness in Custody Act of 2025

119-hr-2718, Family Notification of Death, Injury, or Illness in Custody Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Kamlager-Dove, Sydney [D-CA-37] (D-CA); status introduced (as of 2026-10-03).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2718
- As of: 2026-10-03
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-2718
- Congress: 119
- Title: Family Notification of Death, Injury, or Illness in Custody Act of 2025
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-04-08
- Sponsor: Rep. Kamlager-Dove, Sydney [D-CA-37] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 9
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-03

## Summary

**Ensures timely, compassionate notification to a detainee’s chosen emergency contacts when someone in custody dies, is seriously injured, or becomes seriously ill.** The bill would set national standards for what gets collected, when contacts must be told, and how agencies should communicate. - Families and next-of-kin get faster, clearer notices. Deaths must be reported no later than 12 hours after declaration and serious illness or injury no later than 48 hours. Notices must include time and cause of death if known, investigation status, or for serious injury details about incapacitation and lifesaving measures. - People in custody must be offered an emergency contact at intake and may update it anytime and at least annually. They can opt out of notifications or choose to deliver notices themselves and must be told how the information will be used. - Local, state, Tribal, and federal detention agencies must adopt written notification plans, use standard forms, document every notification attempt, and handle belongings and remains so contacts have at least 7 days to decide on disposition. Outside facilities holding detainees under DOJ contracts would be required to follow the procedures within 7 days of taking custody. - The Department of Justice would publish policies and model procedures, provide online training and outreach, set the federal standard within 1 year, and establish an Ombudsman to receive and investigate complaints about notification failures.

## Cosponsors (9)

- Rep. Moore, Barry [R-AL-1] (R-AL), 2025-04-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Rutherford, John H. [R-FL-5] (R-FL), 2025-04-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ivey, Glenn [D-MD-4] (D-MD), 2025-04-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2025-04-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10] (D-NJ), 2025-04-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Underwood, Lauren [D-IL-14] (D-IL), 2025-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7] (D-IN), 2025-04-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Veasey, Marc A. [D-TX-33] (D-TX), 2025-09-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Foushee, Valerie P. [D-NC-4] (D-NC), 2025-12-16T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Emergency contacts: your choice and privacy: benefit, low. At intake, agencies would ask for contacts to notify, the order to notify, who can receive remains, any faith leader, and any medical proxy or advance directive. You could update this anytime and at least once a year; a standard form would be used and saved in your custodial record. Agencies could…
- Faster family notice during custody crises: benefit, low. This bill would require agencies to notify families fast after a death, serious illness, or serious injury in custody. Death notices would be within 12 hours, between 6:00 a.m. and midnight; serious illness or injury notices would be as soon as possible and no later than 48 hours, within the same h…
- Justice Department rules and complaint office: benefit, low. The Attorney General would have 1 year to set notification rules and training for DOJ detention agencies and to publish model policies for State, Tribal, territorial, and local agencies. DOJ would post the procedures online, include intake steps in materials for people taken into custody, and offer…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act
- 119-hr-5361: George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-2718 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2718)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2102)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842)
- [119-hr-5361: George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5361)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2718 (as of 2026-10-03).