Ted Cruz (R-TX)
Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Reauthorization Act
A Republican bill with 1 Democratic cosponsor · See the cosponsor
Last activity — Held at the desk.
Passed one chamber, waiting for the other to take it up
Passed one chamber, and the other has not yet sent it to a committee or put it on its calendar.
The other chamber will hand it to a committee, place it on its calendar, or leave it where it is. Nothing has been decided, and a bill can sit here indefinitely.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- Passed Senate unanimous consent
- Awaiting House
The Senate by unanimous consent (no one objected, so there was no vote): no senator's position on it was recorded.
What this bill would do
This act is called the "Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Reauthorization Act." It aims to strengthen the powers of the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board. The bill establishes that records regarding civil rights cold cases should generally be disclosed immediately. It allows the Review Board to reimburse state and local governments for costs related to processing these records. Additionally, it removes certain exemptions for state and local governments and limits the application of specific privacy restrictions for records created on or before January 1, 1990. Finally, it extends the tenure of the Review Board from 7 years to 11 years.
Yes· 3 of 8
- Scored +8
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?
Establishes a presumption of immediate disclosure for civil rights cold case records.
- Scored +6
Would Black Americans be better off under this?
Provides greater transparency and disclosure of historical civil rights abuses.
- Scored +6
Would Hispanic Americans be better off under this?
Provides greater transparency and disclosure of historical civil rights abuses.
The opposite
- Scored -2
Does this protect people from being watched or searched?
Limits the application of certain privacy restrictions for records created on or before 1990.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Public Access to Information: The bill states that records concerning civil rights cold cases should carry a presumption of immediate disclosure so the public can be fully informed about the history of these cases (Section 2(a)).
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Increased Record Availability: By removing the phrase "except in the case of a State or local government" from Section 3(a)(2)(A)(i) of the 2018 Act, more records from these government levels can be transmitted to the collection (Section 2(c)).
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Removal of Privacy Restrictions: The bill ensures that Section 552(b)(6) does not apply to civil rights cold case records created on or before January 1, 1990, which may lead to more information being released (Section 2(d)).
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Support for Local Governments: The Review Board can now fully reimburse state or local governments for expenses spent on digitizing, photocopying, or mailing records to the Archivist (Section 2(b)).
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Longer Oversight: The tenure of the Review Board is extended from 7 years to 11 years, allowing for a longer period of operation (Section 3).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No negative impacts for individuals or groups are explicitly mentioned in the provided text.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would Black Americans be better off under this? — Provides greater transparency and disclosure of historical civil rights abuses. Would Asian Americans be better off under this? — Provides greater transparency and disclosure of historical civil rights abuses. Would Hispanic Americans be better off under this? — Provides greater transparency and disclosure of historical civil rights abuses. Would Native Americans be better off under this? — Provides greater transparency and disclosure of historical civil rights abuses.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — Establishes a presumption of immediate disclosure for civil rights cold case records. Does this give the federal government more power? — Strengthens federal oversight and powers of the Review Board to collect records. Does this protect people from being watched or searched? — Limits the application of certain privacy restrictions for records created on or before 1990.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Does this narrow racial gaps in how people are treated? — Increases transparency and public disclosure regarding historical civil rights cold cases. Does this change how police departments operate? — Promotes accountability by making government records of cold case investigations more accessible.
- 12/16/2025
- Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Held at the desk.
- Received in the House.
- 12/15/2025
- Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S8708; text: CR S8708)
- 4/29/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Jon OssoffDemocrat · Georgia