# 119-hr-9189: Right to Record Act of 2026

119-hr-9189, Right to Record Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Frost, Maxwell [D-FL-10] (D-FL); status introduced (as of 2026-08-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9189
- As of: 2026-08-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-9189
- Congress: 119
- Title: Right to Record Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-06-08
- Sponsor: Rep. Frost, Maxwell [D-FL-10] (D-FL)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-12

## Summary

**Would create a federal civil remedy to record, observe, and peacefully protest law enforcement in public.** It would let people sue federal officers and the United States for listed violations and would require annual officer training. - People who record or protest: could sue a federal law enforcement officer for actual damages or statutory damages of $25,000 per violation and seek punitive damages up to $100,000 per violation if the violation involved malice or reckless disregard. Prevailing plaintiffs may recover attorney's fees and costs. - United States and federal agencies: the bill would waive sovereign immunity for claims under the law so the U.S. can be sued and held to the same damages limits regardless of agency policy or immunity defenses. - Officers and agencies: each federal law enforcement agency head would have to train every officer within 1 year and annually after that on enforcing the law while respecting the right to record, observe, and peacefully protest. The bill lists prohibited conduct such as preventing recording, threatening or coercing recorders, pursuing people to retaliate, unlawfully seizing or destroying recording devices, demanding ID to stop recording, and stopping or arresting people for recording.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12] (D-MI), 2026-07-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-18] (D-CA), 2026-08-10T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Money damages for recording rights: benefit, high. If enacted, this bill would let you sue a federal officer or the United States if they violate your right to record, observe, or peacefully protest federal law enforcement activities. You would be able to recover the greater of your actual damages or $25,000 for each violation. A court could award…
- Right to record federal officers: benefit, high. If enacted, this bill would recognize a right to record, observe, or peacefully protest federal law enforcement activities in public view. It would list many acts that would count as violations when done to stop or retaliate against recorders — for example, preventing recording, threatening or coer…
- Annual training for federal officers: benefit, medium. If enacted, the head of each federal law enforcement agency would have to train every federal officer about enforcing the law while respecting the right to record, observe, or peacefully protest. The first training would have to happen within 1 year after enactment and then once every year after th…
- Definitions for recording protections: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would define key terms that decide who and where the protections apply. It would define 'Federal law enforcement agency' and 'Federal law enforcement officer' (including immigration officers), what counts as 'law enforcement activities' in public view, and what 'public view' an…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-3816: Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-3077: Agriculture Resilience Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-9189 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9189)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-3816: Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3816)
- [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-3077: Agriculture Resilience Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3077)
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9189 (as of 2026-08-12).