Congress·In Committee·S. 3731

Senate Bill Would Force Police Departments to Publicly Report Misconduct Settlement Costs or Risk Losing Federal Grants

Cost of Police Misconduct Act of 2026

about 2 months ago·View on Congress.gov

Part of: Senator Kaine introduces a bill requiring police to report misconduct legal cost

Legislative Progress

Senate

House

President

Law

Key Points

This bill requires federal, state, and local police to report details about legal settlements and court cases caused by officer misconduct. This includes information on incidents like excessive force, racial profiling, or body camera violations.
State and local police departments that do not share this data could lose up to 10% of their federal grant money. This lost funding would be given to other departments that follow the new rules.
The Department of Justice will create a public, searchable website so anyone can see how much misconduct is costing their community. To protect privacy, the database will show the costs and types of incidents but will not list officer names.
Police departments must explain where the money for these legal payments comes from, such as city budgets, insurance, or loans. This helps the public understand if these costs are taking money away from other services like schools or road repairs.
After two years of data collection, government experts will study the results to find the main causes of these legal issues. They will then offer recommendations to help police departments improve their training and reduce future misconduct.

Criminal JusticeCivil RightsEconomy Finance

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Broader Impacts

DomainScoreShort-termLong-termReversibilityConfidence

Score

Scores: -5 (harmful) to +5 (beneficial)Short-term: 0-2 yearsLong-term: 10-30 years

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Jan 29, 2026Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Jan 29, 2026

Introduced in Senate

Related News

3 articles

CBS News·about 1 year ago

Justice Department shuts down federal law enforcement misconduct tracker

The DOJ decommissioned the National Law Enforcement Accountability Database in early 2025 following an executive order. This move left a transparency gap that the 2026 Cost of Police Misconduct Act seeks to fill by codifying reporting requirements into federal law.

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WTTW News·5 months ago

Johnson's 2026 Budget Sets Aside Just $82.5M to Resolve Police Misconduct Lawsuits

Chicago's 2026 budget highlights the massive financial burden of police misconduct, with the city already exceeding its $82.5M set-aside. Such local costs are the primary focus of the new federal bill requiring standardized reporting of these taxpayer-funded settlements.

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Axios·about 1 month ago

Cleveland moves to end federal police oversight after more than a decade

As Cleveland seeks to end its federal consent decree, the debate over long-term accountability continues. The Cost of Police Misconduct Act of 2026 would provide a permanent mechanism for tracking misconduct costs even after specific federal oversight programs conclude.

Related Bills

1 bill

H.R. 7278Related bill

Cost of Police Misconduct Act of 2026

Jan 30 — Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Cost of Police Misconduct Act of 2026

Bill NumberS 3731

Congress119th Congress

ChamberSenate

Latest ActionRead twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Sponsor

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.