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HR 2438 117th Congress House Crime and Law Enforcement Computers and information technology Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation Criminal justice information and records Criminal procedure and sentencing Evidence and witnesses Government information and archives Performance measurement Trade secrets and economic espionage

Justice in Forensic Algorithms Act of 2021

Introduced: April 8, 2021 Introduced by: Takano, Mark Democratic · California See on congress.gov
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This bill died when the 117th Congress ended
It never became law before the 117th Congress (2021–2022) 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 4 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Oct 19, 2021
Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
Apr 8, 2021
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Apr 8, 2021
Referred to the Subcommittee on Research and Technology.
Apr 8, 2021
Introduced in House
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Justice in Forensic Algorithms Act of 2021

This bill establishes a federal framework to govern the use of computational forensic software. The term computational forensic software means software that relies on an automated computational process to assess evidence in a criminal investigation (e.g., facial recognition technology).

The framework contains various elements, including the following:

  • requirements for the establishment of testing standards and a testing program for computational forensic software,
  • requirements for the use of computational forensic software by federal law enforcement agencies and related entities (e.g., crime labs),
  • a ban on the use of trade secret evidentiary privilege to prevent federal criminal defendants from accessing evidence collected using computational forensic software or information about the software (e.g., source code), and
  • limits on the admissibility of evidence collected using computational forensic software.
What's happening now October 19, 2021

Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 4
 Cosponsors 1
All 1 Democratic 1
D
Evans, Dwight
Pennsylvania · Apr 8, 2021
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 2438: Justice in Forensic Algorithms Act of 2021. 117th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-2438/
MLA
"H.R. 2438: Justice in Forensic Algorithms Act of 2021." 117th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-2438/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 2438, 117th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-2438/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 2438: Justice in Forensic Algorithms Act of 2021](https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-2438/)
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