Skip to main content
S 3284 116th Congress Senate Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues Civil actions and liability Computers and information technology Congressional operations and organization Congressional oversight Crimes against children Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation Due process and equal protection First Amendment rights Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management Government ethics and transparency, public corruption Human trafficking Intelligence activities, surveillance, classified information Legislative rules and procedure Missing persons Photography and imaging Public contracts and procurement Racial and ethnic relations Right of privacy State and local government operations

Ethical Use of Facial Recognition Act

Introduced: February 12, 2020 Introduced by: Merkley, Jeff Democratic · Oregon See on congress.gov
Sign in to write a letter Sign in to watch
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
Feb 12, 2020
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Feb 12, 2020
Introduced in Senate
 Ask about this bill AI · grounded in the bill text

Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.

AI answers can be imperfect; always confirm against the full bill text.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Ethical Use of Facial Recognition Act

This bill prohibits any officer, employee, or contractor of a federal agency from engaging in specified activities with respect to facial recognition technology without a warrant until a congressional commission established by this bill recommends rules governing the use and limitations on both government and commercial use of such technology.

Specifically, it prohibits any such individual from setting up a camera to be used in connection with facial recognition technology, accessing or using information obtained from such technology, or importing such technology to identify an individual in the United States until Congress enacts legislation implementing the guidelines established by the commission.

The bill permits an aggrieved person to bring a civil action for injunctive or declaratory relief in the appropriate U.S. district court.

No federal funds may be used by a state or local government to invest in facial recognition software, purchase facial recognition technology services, or acquire images for use in facial recognition technology systems.

What's happening now February 12, 2020

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Cosponsors 1
All 1 Democratic 1
D
Booker, Cory A.
New Jersey · Feb 12, 2020
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 3284: Ethical Use of Facial Recognition Act. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-3284/
MLA
"S. 3284: Ethical Use of Facial Recognition Act." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-3284/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 3284, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-3284/.
Markdown link
[S. 3284: Ethical Use of Facial Recognition Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-3284/)
Report a problem