# 119-hr-8323: SOUL Act of 2026

119-hr-8323, SOUL Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Biggs, Andy [R-AZ-5] (R-AZ); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8323
- 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-8323
- Congress: 119
- Title: SOUL Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-04-16
- Sponsor: Rep. Biggs, Andy [R-AZ-5] (R-AZ)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Commerce
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**Grants U.S. citizens exclusive control over their "unique likeness".** The bill defines likeness very broadly to include names, images, voices, biometric and genetic identifiers, avatars, deepfakes, and other digital replicas, and it protects those rights for the life of the person plus 50 years. - Individuals and heirs: Owners (U.S. citizens) would get exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, display, perform, or make derivative works of their unique likeness. Rights vest automatically, are inalienable except by voluntary waiver or license, and last the owner's life plus 50 years. - Platforms and hosts: Platforms that host user content would face liability if they fail to remove unauthorized digital replicas after a valid takedown notice, though a good-faith removal process may qualify for a safe harbor consistent with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. - Creators, AI firms, and users: The bill would prohibit unauthorized synthetic media and deepfakes and allow civil remedies. Courts could award actual or statutory damages of $750 to $30,000 per violation, with willful violations up to $150,000. Fair use, First Amendment protections, law enforcement, and certain medical or research uses under the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act are exempted.

## Provisions PRIA read

- New ownership rights over your likeness: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would define a wide set of personal traits as your "unique likeness," including name, photo, voice, biometric and genetic markers, avatars, and deepfakes. It would give a U.S. citizen the exclusive right to control reproductions, displays, distributions, performances, and deriv…
- Takedowns, damages, and platform liability: mixed, high. If enacted, a U.S. citizen owner could sue in federal court for injunctive relief and takedown orders for unauthorized likeness uses. Owners could recover actual damages or statutory damages of $750 to $30,000 per violation, and up to $150,000 per violation for willful violations; harm would be pre…
- Fair use and government activity exemptions: mixed, high. If enacted, the bill would not cover non‑commercial uses that qualify as fair use, such as parody, satire, criticism, news reporting, scholarship, or transformative art. Government activities, including law enforcement or national security, would be exempt. The chapter would also not apply to uses…
- Federal standard replaces state likeness laws: mixed, high. If enacted, the bill would preempt state laws that give equivalent rights or remedies for unique likeness, creating a single national standard. It also includes a severability clause so the rest stays in effect if one part is struck down. The preemption would take effect 90 days after enactment.

## Related bills

- 119-hr-25: FairTax Act of 2025
- 119-hr-9200: Secure the Border Act of 2026
- 119-hr-624: RIFLE Act of 2025
- 119-hr-8206: Homeland Security and Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026
- 119-hr-6225: PAUSE Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1897: ESA Amendments Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-8323 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8323)

## Related
- [119-hr-25: FairTax Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-25)
- [119-hr-9200: Secure the Border Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9200)
- [119-hr-624: RIFLE Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-624)
- [119-hr-8206: Homeland Security and Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8206)
- [119-hr-6225: PAUSE Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6225)
- [119-hr-1897: ESA Amendments Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1897)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8323 (as of 2026-09-21).