Congress·In Progress·H.R. 6998

Renewed Hope Act

Congress Proposes Hiring 200 New Experts to Rescue Children from Online Abuse

Jan 9·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

This bill is one vehicle in a longer effort. See the full story across every version.View effort →

Next up: A house committeeNo action in 6 months

The Renewed Hope Act was ordered to be reported by a House committee in January 2026. No further action has taken place on this bill since that time. It is currently stalled because there has been no movement for five months.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

How we got here

This bill’s path across every version that has carried it.

Reintroduced
Reintroduced from H.R. 9523 (118th), which died when its Congress ended.
H.R. 9523 (118th) →

Key Points

Congress wants to hire at least 200 new specialists for the Department of Homeland Security. These people will focus on finding and rescuing children who are victims of online sexual abuse and exploitation.
The plan adds 70 experts to a central laboratory and 130 more to local offices across the country. These workers will use advanced technology to study photos, audio, and videos to identify victims and catch criminals.
To get these experts working faster, the Department of Homeland Security would be allowed to skip some of the usual slow hiring rules. They can also hire outside consultants for up to a year to help with difficult forensic work.
A new training program will be created to teach federal, state, and local police the best ways to identify victims. This ensures that law enforcement at every level knows how to use the latest tools to save kids.
The bill includes strict privacy rules to protect the identities of the children who are rescued. Their personal information can only be used for the investigation or to help them get medical care and support.

Criminal JusticeNational SecurityTechnology

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

How this policy affects specific groups of people

Positive Impacts(2)

Federal Employee

Helps

Creates at least 200 new positions at DHS focused on child exploitation investigations, with protections against reassignment.

Mental Health

Helps

Rescued child victims would be connected to trained, trauma-informed medical professionals and federal victim resources.

Milestones

3 milestones4 actions

Jan 13, 2026House

Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.

The committee approved this bill and is sending it to the full chamber for a vote. This is a significant step — most bills never get this far.

Jan 13, 2026House

Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held

Jan 9, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Jan 9, 2026

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

Related News

2 articles

CBN News·Jan 16

Tebow Asks House to Pass Renewed Hope Act to Rescue Children: 'Staggering Rise In Digital Predators'

Tim Tebow urged the House to pass the bipartisan Renewed Hope Act, which would create a dedicated workforce of 200 specialists within Homeland Security Investigations to identify and rescue children from online exploitation, citing a 56% increase in sexually abusive images online.

Right

Washington Times·Sep 10, 2024

Tim Tebow joins Congress' offensive against child sexual abuse

The Renewed Hope Act provides Homeland Security Investigations with resources to hire 200 computer forensics and criminal analysts. The legislation aims to help investigators identify more abuse victims from a global database of at least 50,000 unidentified children.

Center Left

No votes or related bills recorded for this bill yet.