Bill would ban federal facial recognition without Congress approval.
H.R. 10563 — Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act of 2026 · Filed by Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) · 8 cosponsors · Introduced Sep 24, 2026 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
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What it does
The bill stops the federal government from using facial recognition. Congress would have to vote to allow each use with detailed rules. It cuts federal police money from states and cities that use facial recognition without similar limits. People can sue the federal government if it breaks these rules. They can get money for harm.
Who it affects
The bill affects federal government offices that use facial recognition. It also affects state and local police that want federal police money. People harmed by facial recognition can sue.
One thing to notice
Congress could pass a new law later to allow facial recognition if that law has detailed rules. The bill does not ban it forever.
From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.
Where it stands
8 cosponsors: 8 Democrats.
- Sep 24, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Sep 24, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and House Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government…”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Words to know
- facial recognition — Using a camera to identify people by their face.
- federal police money — Money the federal government gives to state and local police.
- sue — Take someone to court to get money for harm done.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (7,210 characters) on Sep 28, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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