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H.R. 8597 116th Congress House

Policing Transparency Act

Official title: To improve the collection and retention of disciplinary records of law enforcement officers, and for other purposes.

Introduced: October 16, 2020 Introduced by: John R. Carter Republican · Texas See on congress.gov
Crime and Law Enforcement Criminal justice information and recordsEmployee hiringEmployment and training programsEvidence and witnesses
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Government information and archivesLaw enforcement administration and fundingLaw enforcement officersPersonnel recordsState and local government operations
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This bill died when the 116th Congress ended
It never became law before the 116th Congress (2019–2020) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Oct 16, 2020
Introduced in House
Oct 16, 2020
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
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 Latest action October 16, 2020

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Policing Transparency Act

This bill requires states and local governments, in order to receive certain federal funds, to (1) report annually to the National Use-of-Force Data Collection of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on use-of-force events by law enforcement officers resulting in fatalities, serious bodily injuries, and firearm discharges; and (2) maintain a system for sharing disciplinary records of law enforcement officers.

The bill also requires the Department of Justice to award a one-time grant to each state for establishing the systems for sharing disciplinary records.

 Related & companion bills 2
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 8597: Policing Transparency Act. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-8597/
MLA
"H.R. 8597: Policing Transparency Act." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-8597/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 8597, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-8597/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 8597: Policing Transparency Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-8597/)
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