Secret email seizures now have time limits and people get told.

What it does

The bill sets rules for when police can take someone's emails or messages. Police must get a court order. A judge must write down why it is needed. The secret can last one year for child abuse cases. For other cases, it lasts 90 days. After that time ends, the person must be told. They get a copy of what was taken. The Justice Department must report each year how many times this happens.

Who it affects

People whose emails or messages are seized by police gain the right to know about it. They can see what was taken. Judges must write detailed reasons before approving secret seizures.

One thing to notice

The bill lets judges skip writing detailed reasons in child abuse cases. This may mean less careful review in the most serious cases. The rule for showing people their data is vague. The government may hide large parts of it.

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 $943,000 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

• court order — A written command from a judge that tells someone what they must do.
• seizure — When police take something, like emails or messages, as part of an investigation.
• Justice Department — The federal agency that enforces laws and handles prosecutions.
• child abuse — Harm done to a child by an adult who is supposed to care for them.
• 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.