Right to Record Act of 2026

This bill states that a person has the right to record, observe, or peacefully protest law enforcement activities that take place in public view. It would let people sue federal law enforcement officers, including immigration officers, and the United States if an officer violates that right, with damages of at least $25,000 per violation and punitive damages of up to $100,000 for violations done with malice or reckless disregard. The bill lists actions that count as violations, such as ordering a person to stop recording, arresting or searching a person for recording, or adding the person's information to a database in response. The right does not cover a person who physically restricts or restrains an officer, and the United States would give up its sovereign immunity for these claims. Federal law enforcement agencies would have to train officers on this right every year.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Maxwell Frost Democrat sponsor
• 2 cosponsors