# 119-hr-6998: Renewed Hope Act 119-hr-6998, Renewed Hope Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Lee, Laurel M. [R-FL-15] (R-FL); status in_committee (as of 2026-09-21). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6998 - As of: 2026-09-21 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-hr-6998 - Congress: 119 - Title: Renewed Hope Act - Status: in_committee - Introduced: 2026-01-09 - Sponsor: Rep. Lee, Laurel M. [R-FL-15] (R-FL) - Cosponsors: 16 - Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement - Touches household money: no - Last recorded action: 2026-09-21 ## Summary **Boosts specialized forensic and investigative staffing to identify and rescue children in sexual exploitation materials.** It would also create a victim identification training program, strengthen coordination with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and require privacy protections for victim data. - Families and children: Would expand HSI's victim-identification capacity by adding at least 200 specialized staff to forensic and investigative teams to speed analysis and rescue efforts. - Law enforcement: Would give Homeland Security Investigations a direct-hire authority to fill those jobs faster, block that authority when 97 percent of such positions are filled, and require annual reports for five years on its use. - Victims and providers: Would establish a Victim Identification Training Program for HSI, federal and state partners, Tribal and local law enforcement, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and require victim-identifying information to be stored in restricted locations and used only for investigation, services, or prosecution. ## Cosponsors (16) - Rep. Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [D-FL-25] (D-FL), 2026-01-09T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Carey, Mike [R-OH-15] (R-OH), 2026-01-13T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Davis, Donald G. [D-NC-1] (D-NC), 2026-01-13T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Dean, Madeleine [D-PA-4] (D-PA), 2026-02-23T00:00:00.000Z - Del. King-Hinds, Kimberlyn [R-MP-At Large] (R-MP), 2026-03-04T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Goldman, Craig A. [R-TX-12] (R-TX), 2026-03-25T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Flood, Mike [R-NE-1] (R-NE), 2026-03-25T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Amo, Gabe [D-RI-1] (D-RI), 2026-04-06T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Crank, Jeff [R-CO-5] (R-CO), 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Smith, Jason [R-MO-8] (R-MO), 2026-04-20T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. McDowell, Addison P. [R-NC-6] (R-NC), 2026-04-20T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Moore, Tim [R-NC-14] (R-NC), 2026-04-27T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Salazar, Maria Elvira [R-FL-27] (R-FL), 2026-05-04T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Vasquez, Gabe [D-NM-2] (D-NM), 2026-05-12T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2] (D-NC), 2026-06-30T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Schmidt, Derek [R-KS-2] (R-KS), 2026-07-20T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - Contract forensic experts for cases: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would let the Secretary procure temporary or intermittent contract experts to do image and audio forensic analysis to help identify and rescue children. Such contracts could be for up to 1 year or intermittent work. Daily pay would be capped at the equivalent of a GS-15 rate. T… - More Homeland Security investigators and analysts: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would require hiring at least 40 forensics analysts and 30 child exploitation investigators for the Victim Identification Laboratory, plus 130 more analysts and investigators to support HSI special agent offices (200 total). The bill would bar moving those jobs out of the Child… - New rules to coordinate with NCMEC: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would require the Cyber Crimes Center to set joint procedures with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to deconflict, coordinate, and synchronize child sexual exploitation investigations with NCMEC's victim identification program. The bill would also require… - Stronger privacy rules for victim data: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would require covered persons to keep all victim-identifying information in a secure location only accessible to personnel working to identify and rescue victims. The bill would allow disclosure only to investigate or prosecute crimes, to connect victims to licensed trauma-info… - Training program to find child victims: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would create a Victim Identification Training Program at the Cyber Crimes Center. The program would give annual training on current tools and techniques to identify victims and on lab capabilities. It would train HSI staff, federal, state, local, Tribal, and foreign law enforce… ## Related bills - 119-hr-979: AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025 - 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act - 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act - 119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025 - 119-hr-1422: Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025 - 119-hr-9250: Great American Outdoors Act 250 ## Sources - [119-hr-6998 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6998) ## Related - [119-hr-979: AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-979) - [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262) - [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842) - [119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3514) - [119-hr-1422: Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1422) - [119-hr-9250: Great American Outdoors Act 250](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9250) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6998 (as of 2026-09-21).