# 119-s-5005: Epstein Files Transparency Act II

119-s-5005, Epstein Files Transparency Act II, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR); status introduced (as of 2026-08-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5005
- 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-5005
- Congress: 119
- Title: Epstein Files Transparency Act II
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-07-15
- Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Law
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-11

## Summary

**This bill would create a new enforcement framework that lets state and local officials, victims, and Congress compel full, unredacted records** about Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and their criminal network. It would allow civil suits and require courts to advance and quickly decide claims when the Department of Justice withholds, redacts, or delays material. - Victims: Victims could obtain full, unredacted records that identify or relate to them, including FD-302 files, with limited redactions only to protect other victims' private medical or identifying information. - State and local prosecutors: State attorneys general and district attorneys could sue the U.S. Attorney General in the District of Columbia or in-state court for declaratory, injunctive, and monetary relief, costs, and attorney's fees. Courts must move these cases quickly, and defined harms include investigative, informational, and financial harm above $100. - Members of Congress and DOJ personnel: Any Member of Congress may receive full unredacted access within 7 calendar days of a written request and may sue for violations. Department of Justice components and personnel who conceal, destroy, falsify, or withhold records face penalties tied to federal criminal provisions such as 18 U.S.C. 1001, 1505, 1519, and 2071.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM), 2026-07-15T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- State prosecutors' access to records: benefit, medium. If enacted, State attorneys general, district attorneys, and authorized state officers could get full, unredacted copies of covered records for a state investigation or court case. Classified records would be available for review in a secure facility under court-approved procedures. The DOJ Touhy r…
- Full records access for victims: benefit, low. If enacted, people the bill defines as victims would be able to request full, unredacted records about themselves. Victim status could be shown by DOJ/FBI identification, linkage to an FD-302 or investigative file, or a sworn declaration. The Attorney General generally could not use common-law priv…
- Congressional access to Epstein files: benefit, low. If enacted, any Member of Congress could request full, unredacted records described in the bill and the Attorney General would have to provide access within seven calendar days of a written request. This requirement would apply even if other law would otherwise limit access. Members could sue to en…
- Penalties for DOJ record concealment: cost, low. If enacted, DOJ, FBI, and U.S. Attorney employees, including senior officials, would face criminal penalties for concealing, destroying, falsifying, withholding, or making materially false statements about records required under the bill. The bill ties such conduct to existing federal crimes (for e…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act
- 119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act
- 119-s-5238: For Our Republic Act
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act

## Sources
- [119-s-5005 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5005)

## Related
- [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-5238: For Our Republic Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5238)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5005 (as of 2026-08-11).