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HR7278119th Congress

Cost of Police Misconduct Act of 2026

Sponsored By: Representative Beyer, Donald S. [D-VA-8]

Introduced

Summary

Creates a national system to collect and publish data on police misconduct judgments and settlements. This bill would require federal, state, and local agencies to report detailed annual data on allegations, personnel actions, demographics, and payments, and it would fund a public, searchable Department of Justice database.

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  • Communities and civil rights organizations would get a public, searchable DOJ database of misconduct judgments and settlements, updated annually and launched within one year.
  • Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies would face new reporting duties covering allegation type, officer and civilian demographics, personnel actions, and payment sources, with up to a 10% reduction in Byrne JAG or COPS on the Beat funds for noncompliance.
  • States and localities would have to disclose how settlements are paid, including insurance, bonds, and risk pools, and the Government Accountability Office would study patterns after two years to identify high-spending agencies, common causes, and recommendations.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.

Government study of settlement costs

If enacted, the bill would require the Government Accountability Office to study reported settlement and judgment data after two full years of collection. The GAO study would identify top causes of payouts, the agencies that spend the most, total and average amounts by state and government level, and recommend ways to reduce misconduct and fiscal exposure. The GAO must deliver a public report to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees within 120 days after the third year.

Public DOJ misconduct database

If enacted, the bill would require the Attorney General to build a public, searchable database on DOJ.gov within one year. The database would show reported settlement and judgment data from federal, state, and local agencies. It would exclude personally identifiable information and follow confidentiality rules. The Attorney General would verify state and local reports within 30 days using open sources. The AG would also submit a public report with policy recommendations 120 days after the third year and then every year.

New police settlement reporting rules

If enacted, the bill would require federal law enforcement agencies to collect detailed data on judgments and settlements tied to officer misconduct. Collection would start 120 days after enactment. Agencies would report yearly to the Attorney General within 60 days after year-end, and the AG may extend that deadline by 60 days for good-faith efforts. The reports would include demographic details when known, allegation type, year of alleged misconduct, personnel actions, amounts paid, and which funds paid (for example, the Judgment Fund, agency budgets, insurance, bonds, or risk pools). States and local governments that get Byrne JAG funds would face the same reporting rules, must publish their submitted data online within 30 days, and could lose up to 10% of Byrne JAG or COPS on the Beat funds for noncompliance; withheld funds would be reallocated to compliant jurisdictions.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Beyer, Donald S. [D-VA-8]

VA • D

Cosponsors

  • Rep. McClellan, Jennifer L. [D-VA-4]

    VA • D

    Sponsored 1/30/2026

  • Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]

    DC • D

    Sponsored 1/30/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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