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119-hr-3087119th Congress

Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Reauthorization Act

Sponsored By: Representative Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12]

In Committee

Summary

Makes historical civil-rights cold case records more available to the public. The bill strengthens the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board, adds new tools to collect and transmit State and local files, and extends the Board's term.

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  • Families, historians, and the public gain a presumption of immediate disclosure for Federal, State, and local civil-rights cold case records and a change in how the FOIA privacy exemption (5 U.S.C. 552(b)(6)) applies to records dated on or before Jan. 1, 1990.
  • State and local governments are required to transmit records more readily and can be reimbursed in full for expenses to digitize, photocopy, or mail records to the Archivist for inclusion in the Collection.
  • The Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board gets longer continuity by increasing its tenure from 7 years to 11 years.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.

More public access to cold-case files

If enacted, the bill would let State and local governments send their civil-rights cold-case records to the Archivist for the Collection. The Review Board would be allowed to reimburse State or local governments in full for digitizing, photocopying, or mailing costs when those costs are incurred to transmit records, and reimbursement would be available only if the government requests it. The bill would express a presumption that such records should be disclosed quickly, but it would also add a privacy exception for information in records created on or before January 1, 1990. These changes would take effect upon enactment.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12]

NJ • D

Cosponsors

  • Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17]

    NY • R

    Sponsored 4/29/2025

  • Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1]

    PA • R

    Sponsored 4/29/2025

  • Rep. McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10]

    NJ • D

    Sponsored 6/5/2025

  • Rep. Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-9]

    NY • D

    Sponsored 6/10/2025

  • Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]

    DC • D

    Sponsored 6/10/2025

  • Rep. Fields, Cleo [D-LA-6]

    LA • D

    Sponsored 6/10/2025

  • Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4]

    GA • D

    Sponsored 6/13/2025

  • Rep. Lee, Summer L. [D-PA-12]

    PA • D

    Sponsored 6/23/2025

  • Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8]

    IL • D

    Sponsored 6/25/2025

  • Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5]

    CT • D

    Sponsored 6/27/2025

  • Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12]

    MI • D

    Sponsored 7/2/2025

  • Rep. Brown, Shontel M. [D-OH-11]

    OH • D

    Sponsored 7/25/2025

  • Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3]

    PA • D

    Sponsored 8/26/2025

  • Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7]

    IN • D

    Sponsored 10/17/2025

  • Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13]

    MI • D

    Sponsored 10/31/2025

  • Rep. Bishop, Sanford D. [D-GA-2]

    GA • D

    Sponsored 11/12/2025

  • Rescom. Hernández, Pablo Jose [D-PR-At Large]

    PR • D

    Sponsored 12/10/2025

  • Rep. Jackson, Jonathan L. [D-IL-1]

    IL • D

    Sponsored 4/6/2026

  • Rep. Thompson, Bennie G. [D-MS-2]

    MS • D

    Sponsored 5/12/2026

  • Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36]

    CA • D

    Sponsored 5/12/2026

  • Rep. Case, Ed [D-HI-1]

    HI • D

    Sponsored 8/10/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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