# 119-s-2522: Cell-Site Simulator Warrant Act of 2025

119-s-2522, Cell-Site Simulator Warrant Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2522
- As of: 2026-08-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-2522
- Congress: 119
- Title: Cell-Site Simulator Warrant Act of 2025
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-07-29
- Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-11

## Summary

**Strict warrants and transparency for police and intelligence use of cell‑site simulators.** This bill would sharply limit when agencies can use so‑called stingrays, require court authorization or tightly drawn exceptions, and add testing, disclosure, and oversight rules to reduce improper tracking and evidence use. - Individuals and households: Would curb warrantless location and device tracking and generally bar evidence collected in violation of the rules from trials. Courts must usually notify named persons and provide an inventory generally within 90 days after denial or termination of a warrant. - Law enforcement and intelligence components: Would allow use only under a Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure warrant or a FISA Title I order, with emergency use allowed but requiring a warrant application within 48 hours. Initial warrants are capped at 30 days with 30‑day extensions allowed and must show other methods were tried or likely to fail. - Correctional, protective, and research uses: Permits narrow contraband‑interdiction systems inside facilities if they limit transmissions, undergo annual testing, and report issues to the FCC within 10 business days. The U.S. Secret Service may use devices for protective duties but evidence from that use generally cannot be used in court. - FCC, labs, and oversight: Requires FCC‑recognized accredited lab inspection and model certification, directs the FCC to begin rulemaking within 180 days, and mandates annual joint Inspector General reports with a public primary report and possible classified annex.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Daines, Steve [R-MT] (R-MT), 2025-07-29T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New penalties, notice, and civil remedies: benefit, medium. This bill would let people sue if they were unlawfully surveilled with a cell‑site simulator. You could get actual damages, attorney’s fees, and up to $500 per violation. Anyone who breaks the ban could face fines up to $250,000. Courts would generally exclude evidence obtained unlawfully and judge…
- Ban on cell-site simulators with exceptions: benefit, medium. This bill would make most use of cell‑site simulators illegal in the United States. It would allow limited testing, protective, and certain intelligence uses under strict rules. Agencies could only use device models with required model‑specific disclosures and prior approvals.
- Tighter warrant rules and data limits: benefit, medium. This bill would require warrants that say why other methods failed and that name a narrow place and time before most uses. Initial warrants would last up to 30 days and extensions would be 30‑day increments. It would limit collection to device IDs and signal data and require minimization and prompt…
- Prison phone interdiction system rules: mixed, low. This bill would let correctional facilities use contraband phone systems if transmissions stay inside the facility. Facilities would have to post signs, follow FCC and NTIA rules, test systems each year, and report problems to the FCC within 10 business days.

## Related bills

- 119-s-891: Bipartisan Health Care Act
- 119-s-2438: Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act
- 119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026
- 119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act
- 119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act
- 119-s-4280: SAFE Act

## Sources
- [119-s-2522 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2522)

## Related
- [119-s-891: Bipartisan Health Care Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-891)
- [119-s-2438: Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2438)
- [119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5071)
- [119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5022)
- [119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2819)
- [119-s-4280: SAFE Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4280)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2522 (as of 2026-08-11).