# 119-hr-8451: Prevent the Misuse of Federal Law Enforcement Act

119-hr-8451, Prevent the Misuse of Federal Law Enforcement Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36] (D-CA); status introduced (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8451
- 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-8451
- Congress: 119
- Title: Prevent the Misuse of Federal Law Enforcement Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-04-22
- Sponsor: Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**Restricts federal law-enforcement powers in local jurisdictions without local approval.** It focuses on limiting when federal officers can be sent to act inside states, tribes, territories, and D.C. - State, tribal, territorial, and D.C. leaders: Chief executives would need to request federal deputization before the U.S. Marshals Service or other federal officers can be assigned to act in their jurisdiction. - Federal enforcement duties: The Attorney General would be limited to assigning only duties necessary to enforce federal controlled‑substances laws. - Department of Homeland Security and protests: The Department of Homeland Security could not designate additional employees as officers for protecting federal property in areas where protest activity is occurring unless the relevant chief executive requests it. This restriction does not apply to employees transferred from the Federal Protective Service under the Homeland Security Act of 2002.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Dexter, Maxine [D-OR-3] (D-OR), 2026-04-22T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Limit federal drug-enforcement duties: benefit, medium. This bill would limit the law enforcement duties the Attorney General may assign under the Controlled Substances Act. The Attorney General could only designate duties necessary to enforce U.S. drug laws or duties that relate to drug investigations. It would bar using Controlled Substances Act autho…
- Limit DHS protest duty designations: mixed, medium. This bill would stop the Secretary of Homeland Security from designating additional DHS employees as officers to protect federal property or people in any area where protest activity is occurring, unless the chief executive of the State, Indian tribe, territory, or the District of Columbia requests…
- Limit U.S. Marshals deputization powers: mixed, medium. This bill would prohibit the U.S. Marshals Service from deputizing State, local, tribal, territorial, or District of Columbia law enforcement officers unless the chief executive of the appropriate jurisdiction requests it. It would also bar the Marshals from deputizing other Federal law enforcement…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-3971: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act
- 119-hr-3069: Medicare for All Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-8451 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8451)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-3971: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3971)
- [119-hr-3069: Medicare for All Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3069)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8451 (as of 2026-09-21).