Sponsors (2)
Permits broader official exchange of criminal history records to federal officials, state sentencing and POST agencies, tribes, cities, and penal institutions and defines key terms.
The bill improves legal clarity and accelerates data‑sharing among law enforcement and sentencing bodies to support coordination and more consistent sentencing, but it raises significant privacy risks and implementation burdens as access expands across many jurisdictions.
State and local law enforcement agencies, State sentencing commissions, and the Department of Justice will have clearer legal authority and an enforceable 180‑day deadline to update rules to share and access criminal justice records, enabling more coordinated training, certification, and interjurisdictional operations.
State sentencing commissions and the U.S. Sentencing Commission will gain access to more consistent shared sentencing data, supporting better evidence‑based policy development and potentially reducing sentencing disparities.
Broader authorized data exchanges expand the risk that sensitive personal information will be shared without individual consent, raising privacy and civil‑liberties concerns for the general public and vulnerable populations (e.g., people with disabilities).
Including many additional state and territorial agencies increases the number of entities with access and heightens the chance of inconsistent standards, oversight gaps, and accidental disclosures across jurisdictions.
Implementing the new exchange rules and updating systems and policies will impose administrative and compliance costs on DOJ, state, and local agencies.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes broader exchange of criminal history records and related information among federal officials (including the U.S. Sentencing Commission), States (including state sentencing commissions and peace officer standards and training agencies), Indian tribes, cities, and penal and other institutions. Defines “peace officer standards and training agency” and expands the definition of “State” to include territories and possessions, and directs the Attorney General to update regulations within 180 days to implement the changes. The law mainly changes who may receive and use criminal history information and clarifies certain terms; it does not create new funding or program lines but does require regulatory updates to 28 C.F.R. part 20 to reflect the amendments.
Official title: To authorize peace officer standards and training agencies to access criminal history records, and for other purposes.
Introduced April 16, 2026 by Derek Schmidt · Last progress May 13, 2026