Law enforcement must tell people when their data is seized.

What it does

This bill changes federal wiretap law. Courts must write down reasons before ordering a company to hide a seizure. Secret orders last 1 year for child exploitation cases. Secret orders last 90 days for other cases. After that time, the person must be told. The government must publish a yearly report on these orders.

Who it affects

People whose messages or records are seized by law enforcement. Companies that provide phone and internet service. Courts that decide whether to allow secret seizures.

One thing to notice

The bill lets courts skip writing reasons in child exploitation cases. The bill lets the government hide some information even after the secret order ends.

From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.

Where it stands

1 cosponsor: 1 Democrats.

• Nov 17, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Nov 17, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary and Senate Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary”
• Nov 18, 2025 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
• Nov 20, 2025 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote”
• Aug 31, 2026 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote”
• Aug 31, 2026 — Floor vote scheduled · Congress.gov: “Mr. Fitzgerald moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

8 groups reported lobbying about this bill. They filed 8 reports from Dec 2025 to Jun 2026.

Those reports show $6,770,000 in lobbying spending. Each report lists about 10 bills. So that money was not all for this bill.

More groups named this bill than 88% of bills with any report.

Scott Fitzgerald, who sponsored the bill, received $880,000 from PACs for the 2026 election.

• Meta Platforms, Inc. and Various Subsidiaries — $5,990,000 in 1 report
• Business Software Alliance — $320,000 in 1 report
• Reform Government Surveillance — $140,000 in 1 report
• Project for Privacy and Surveillance Accountability, Inc. — $120,000 in 1 report
• Microsoft Corporation — $90,000 in 1 report

Lobbying is legal. These reports show who lobbied about this bill, not what changed.

Words to know

• wiretap law — Federal rules about when police can listen to private communications.
• seizure — When law enforcement takes someone's communications or records as evidence.
• lobbying — Trying to influence lawmakers about a bill. Companies and groups pay people to do this.
• PACs — Groups that collect money and give it to candidates for office.
• sponsored — To sponsor a bill is to introduce it in Congress and put your name on it.