Sponsor
Thomas Bryant Cotton
Senator · R-AR
Senator · R-AR
The bill tightens protections for military and other high‑value sites by expanding prohibitions and enforcement tools for certain imagery, trading increased national security and enforcement clarity for broader criminalization, heavier penalties, and procedural burdens that may disproportionately harm immigrants, journalists, and ordinary civilians.
Military personnel and sensitive installations face reduced risk because photographing or tracking listed high‑value assets is presumed hostile, making it easier to deter, investigate, and prosecute espionage-related activity.
Department of Defense and law enforcement gain clearer statutory tools and authorities — including device forfeiture and civil penalties up to $100,000 — to deter and penalize collection or dissemination of imagery that could aid adversaries.
Civilians receive clearer notice of prohibited conduct through posted signs and an official list of designated assets, reducing the chance of accidental violations near protected installations.
People identified as 'covered persons' (e.g., based on nationality or acting on their behalf) face a rebuttable presumption of hostile intent and a shifted burden of proof, and the bill broadly criminalizes digital/streamed/AI‑enhanced imagery with higher mandatory penalties — creating a significant risk of discriminatory enforcement and chilling lawful photography and reporting by immigrants,记者s,
Device forfeiture and large civil fines (up to $100,000) expose individuals — including U.S. citizens and small business owners — to substantial economic losses if their equipment is used to take or share covered imagery.
Citizens or nationals of listed countries who are convicted face mandatory visa revocation and removal, increasing deportation risk even for offenses that may be minor or inadvertent.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Criminalizes and raises penalties for photographing/streaming/AI-enhancing images of designated military assets/installations, requires DoD to list and post those assets/sites.
Creates new criminal rules and tougher penalties for photographing, filming, tracking, or otherwise visually capturing certain U.S. military assets and top-tier military installations, and requires the Department of Defense to publish and mark those assets and sites. It defines “countries of concern” (China, Russia, Iran, North Korea), creates a rebuttable presumption of hostile intent when covered persons (citizens/nationals of those countries or actors on their behalf) capture or transmit imagery of listed assets/installations, expands the kinds of visual media covered (digital, streaming, AI-enhanced), raises criminal penalties and civil fines, authorizes device forfeiture, and mandates visa revocation/removal for foreign nationals of countries of concern convicted under the new rule.
Official title: Amend chapter 37 of title 18, United States Code, to improve the prohibition on espionage.
Introduced April 30, 2026 by Thomas Bryant Cotton · Last progress April 30, 2026