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Federal Interviews Reform Act

Crime and Law Enforcement

3 pages

house

senate

president

Introduced on July 16, 2025 by Thomas P. TIFFANY

Sponsors (3)

House Votes

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Senate Votes

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AI Summary

Text Versions

Text as it was Introduced in House

July 16, 2025•3 pages

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Amendments

No Amendments

This bill would require federal law enforcement officers and employees at the Department of Justice to record interviews with people suspected of crimes. Recordings can be audio or video. It covers interviews during federal cases and when the Department is helping state, local, or tribal police. It also applies to interviews of U.S. citizens outside the country. Conversations with confidential informants are not included. Officers do not have to tell you they’re recording, and they don’t need your permission. If an interview that should have been recorded wasn’t, the government can’t use that statement as evidence in federal court.

Recordings must be kept for at least 10 years after the investigation or any related court case ends, whichever is later. If the case involves a death-penalty charge, the recording must be kept forever. The Attorney General must set detailed rules within 180 days after the law takes effect.

Key points:

Who is affected: People interviewed by the Department of Justice in criminal cases, including when DOJ helps other police agencies; U.S. citizens interviewed by DOJ outside the U.S.
What changes: Interviews must be recorded; officers don’t need to notify you; unrecorded interviews generally can’t be used by the government in federal court
How long records are kept: 10 years after the case ends, or forever for death-penalty cases
When rules come: Within 180 days after the law is enacted