Congress·In Committee·H.R. 8245

GRACIE Act of 2026

Child Welfare: Recording Abuse and Neglect Interviews

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

Next up: A house committee

The GRACIE Act of 2026 is currently in the early stages of the legislative process. It was recently introduced and sent to the House Committee on Ways and Means for review. The bill is actively moving forward as it awaits further consideration by the committee.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Could go either way

The bill has support from both parties and addresses a clear need for better records in child safety cases. However, many bills like this struggle to get a final vote in a busy schedule.

Key Points

This bill would give states money to record all interviews done during child abuse or neglect investigations. This includes talking to children and adults to find out if a crime happened.
States that get these grants must keep the audio or video files for at least five years. This helps make sure there is an accurate record if someone questions what happened during the interview later on.
The recordings are kept private and can only be shared with government agencies or with parents and guardians during a court case. There are penalties for anyone who shares these sensitive files without permission.
The government would spend up to $30 million each year from 2026 through 2031 to pay for this program. This money helps states buy cameras or audio gear and pay for secure digital storage.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Apr 9, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Apr 9, 2026

Introduced in House

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

No votes, news coverage, or related bills recorded for this bill yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

GRACIE Act of 2026

Bill NumberHR 8245

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(7)

D: 1R: 6

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.