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Clarifies how civil rights cold case records should be handled, directs that those records generally be released to the public, and authorizes the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board to reimburse State or local governments for certain costs to send records to the national Collection. It also amends the 2018 statute to change how records held by State or local governments and older records (on or before January 1, 1990) are treated. The bill also lengthens the statutory service period in the 2018 Act from 7 years to 11 years by updating the relevant time references.
It is the sense of Congress that all Federal, State, and local government records concerning civil rights cold cases should carry a presumption of immediate disclosure and eventually be disclosed so the public can be fully informed about the history of those cases.
Amend Section 3 of the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act of 2018 to add that, upon request of a State or local government to the Review Board, the Review Board may reimburse the State or local government in full for any expense incurred for digitizing, photocopying, or mailing a civil rights cold case record for the purpose of transmitting that record to the Archivist for inclusion in the Collection.
Amend Section 3(a)(2)(A)(i) of the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act of 2018 by striking . (The text to be struck is presented in the section as: "is amended by striking ." — no additional text is provided in this section.)
Provide that section 552(b)(6) of title 5 (a FOIA exemption) does not apply to civil rights cold case records on or before January 1, 1990. The section accomplishes this by amending Section 9(a)(2) of the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act of 2018 — specifically, it is amended by striking the period at the end and inserting . (The inserted text is not shown in this section.)
Amend Section 5(n)(1) of the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act of 2018 by striking the phrase “7 years” and inserting “11 years.”
Who is affected and how:
State and local governments and record custodians: They may be asked to identify, prepare, and transfer civil rights cold case records to the federal Collection. The bill reduces the financial burden by allowing the Review Board to reimburse certain transfer costs, but practical implementation will depend on available funding and reimbursement rules. The clarification of treatment for records (including those on or before January 1, 1990) may change how agencies prioritize searches and transfers.
State and local law enforcement agencies: Agencies that hold relevant investigative files may face increased administrative workload to locate, review, and transfer records. The reimbursement authority can help cover preparatory costs, but agencies will still need to comply with privacy, ongoing-investigation, and other legal protections.
Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board and program staff: The Board gains clearer authority over collection procedures and more time horizon stability with the extension from 7 to 11 years, which can affect appointments, planning, and long-term project execution.
Families of victims, historians, journalists, researchers, and the general public: Greater clarity and a presumption of release should improve public access to historical records, aiding truth‑seeking, research, and closure for affected families while still allowing lawful exemptions.
Fiscal and administrative implications: The bill authorizes reimbursements but does not itself appropriate funds. Agencies and the Review Board may need to develop procedures for reimbursement, record transfer standards, and privacy/redaction protocols. The overall fiscal impact will depend on subsequent appropriations and administrative implementation.
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Received in the House.
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
Introduced April 29, 2025 by Rafael Edward Cruz · Last progress December 16, 2025
Held at the desk.
Received in the House.
Message on Senate action sent to the House.
Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S8708; text: CR S8708)