# 119-s-3731: Cost of Police Misconduct Act of 2026 119-s-3731, Cost of Police Misconduct Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA] (D-VA); status introduced (as of 2026-08-11). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3731 - 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-3731 - Congress: 119 - Title: Cost of Police Misconduct Act of 2026 - Status: introduced - Introduced: 2026-01-29 - Sponsor: Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA] (D-VA) - Cosponsors: 0 - Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement - Touches household money: no - Last recorded action: 2026-08-11 ## Summary **Would create a national, public reporting system for law enforcement misconduct judgments and settlements.** It would require federal, state, and local agencies that receive Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne JAG) funds to collect and publish detailed annual data on allegations, payments, and agency actions, and it ties funding penalties to noncompliance. - Federal agencies would be identified by the Attorney General and, starting about 120 days after enactment, would collect annual data on judgments and settlements including demographics, allegation types, personnel actions, amounts paid, and funding sources, then report to the Department of Justice. - State and local governments that receive Byrne JAG funds would report the same details by agency, disclose how settlements are paid (for example, agency budgets, insurance, bonds, or central risk pools), publish the data on their websites, and face up to a 10 percent cut to Byrne JAG or Cops on the Beat funds for noncompliance. - The public would get a searchable DOJ database created within one year of enactment and state website postings to track patterns of misconduct, payments, and agency responses without personally identifiable information. - The Government Accountability Office would study the data after two full years and issue a public report by the end of year three, and the Department of Justice would produce annual analyses and recommended best practices for reducing misconduct. ## Provisions PRIA read - DOJ reports and best-practice guidance: benefit, medium. The Attorney General would prepare a public report for Congress and the public not later than 120 days after the third year ends, and annually after. The report would recommend use-of-force policies and other best practices developed with law enforcement groups and civil rights organizations. It wo… - Federal reporting on officer misconduct: benefit, medium. This bill would make the Attorney General list all Federal law enforcement agencies within 90 days. If enacted, each listed Federal agency would begin collecting annual data 120 days after enactment on judgments or settlements tied to alleged misconduct. Agencies would report to the Attorney Genera… - GAO study of misconduct costs: benefit, medium. After two full years of reporting, the Government Accountability Office would study the collected data and report to Congress. The study would identify leading causes of judgments and settlements, agencies with the largest payouts, totals by State, and recommendations to reduce misconduct. The GAO… - Public DOJ misconduct database: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Attorney General would create a public, searchable database on the Department of Justice website within 1 year. The database would contain the data reported by Federal, State, and local entities, and it would be updated every year. The database would not include law enforcement offi… - Privacy Act protections preserved: benefit, low. The bill would state that nothing in these reporting rules overrides the Privacy Act of 1974. If enacted, the Privacy Act's limits on records and disclosure would still apply to the information covered by this Act. - State and local reporting and penalties: mixed, medium. The Attorney General would notify Byrne JAG grant recipients within 30 days. From 120 days after enactment, States and local governments that get Byrne JAG funds would collect and report similar misconduct and settlement data each year. Reports must show what paid judgments came from, including ins… - Definitions that set reporting scope: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would define terms like "allegation of misconduct," "judgment," "law enforcement agency," and "settlement." These definitions would take effect on enactment and would decide which incidents and officers must be included in reporting. The definitions would guide DOJ actions and… ## Related bills - 119-s-2120: Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025 - 119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act - 119-s-5283: Momnibus Act - 119-s-4504: Full-Service Community School Expansion Act of 2026 - 119-s-2763: Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act - 119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act ## Sources - [119-s-3731 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3731) ## Related - [119-s-2120: Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2120) - [119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2819) - [119-s-5283: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5283) - [119-s-4504: Full-Service Community School Expansion Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4504) - [119-s-2763: Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2763) - [119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3869) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3731 (as of 2026-08-11).