# 119-hr-8635: VERIFY Act of 2026

119-hr-8635, VERIFY Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Shreve, Jefferson [R-IN-6] (R-IN); status introduced (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8635
- 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-8635
- Congress: 119
- Title: VERIFY Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-04-30
- Sponsor: Rep. Shreve, Jefferson [R-IN-6] (R-IN)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Immigration
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**Modernize the SAVE program** so agencies get faster, more accurate immigration-verification responses. It would push for near-real-time status updates, wider data sharing, and stronger accuracy and privacy safeguards. - Families and benefit applicants: Immigration status changes must appear in SAVE within 24 hours of being recorded in the originating system, so eligibility checks use near-real-time information. - Government agencies: Federal, State, local, and Tribal agencies get expanded API access and updated data-sharing agreements with the Social Security Administration and others, and no fee may be charged for SAVE queries. - USCIS and program oversight: USCIS must submit a SAVE modernization plan within 180 days and the Inspector General must audit accuracy and timeliness every year. Automated reconciliation and identity-matching can be used but cannot be the sole basis for adverse eligibility determinations and must undergo regular bias and accuracy testing with summaries to Congress.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Taylor, David J. [R-OH-2] (R-OH), 2026-04-30T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New rules for sharing immigration data: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Secretary would integrate SAVE with DHS arrival and departure systems and update memoranda of understanding with the Social Security Administration and other federal agencies to share data where allowed by law. The bill would encourage voluntary agreements with State vital records a…
- No fees for government immigration checks: benefit, low. If enacted, Federal, State, local, and Tribal agencies would not be charged any fee to submit verification queries through SAVE. This would reduce operating costs for public agencies that rely on SAVE. The fee prohibition would take effect one year after enactment.
- Faster status checks for agencies: mixed, medium. If enacted, the Secretary would send a SAVE modernization plan to Congress within 180 days. The plan would describe technology upgrades, user training, and performance goals. Operational changes would start one year after enactment and SAVE would be updated to reflect status changes within 24 hours…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025
- 119-hr-9298: Stopping Harmful and Outrageous Torts Act
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act
- 119-hr-740: Veterans’ ACCESS Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4238: DLARA

## Sources
- [119-hr-8635 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8635)

## Related
- [119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9237)
- [119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2725)
- [119-hr-9298: Stopping Harmful and Outrageous Torts Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9298)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-740: Veterans’ ACCESS Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-740)
- [119-hr-4238: DLARA](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4238)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8635 (as of 2026-09-21).