Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Reauthorization Act

This bill aims to open more records about unsolved civil rights cases from decades past. It says these records should be released quickly and, over time, made public so people can learn the full history. It also lets the review board pay state and local offices back for the cost of scanning, copying, or mailing records to the National Archives, which helps smaller offices share what they have. It limits the use of a federal privacy rule to block release of older records, so records from on or before January 1, 1990 are less likely to be withheld. The review board that oversees this work would keep operating longer, moving from a 7‑year to an 11‑year term to finish the job.

Key points:

• Who is affected: families, historians, journalists, and communities seeking answers; state and local agencies that hold old records.
• What changes: stronger push to release records; cost reimbursement for local offices to send records in; fewer privacy blocks on older records; longer time for the review board to operate (7 years extended to 11).
• When: would take effect upon becoming law; the board’s lifespan is extended so the work can continue.