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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8927 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8927
To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit the doxxing of law
enforcement officers, prosecutors, and judges, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 20, 2026
Mr. Gottheimer (for himself, Mr. Bacon, Mr. Moskowitz, Ms. Stefanik,
Ms. Gillen, Mr. Lawler, Mr. Davis of North Carolina, Mr. Fitzpatrick,
and Mr. Rutherford) introduced the following bill; which was referred
to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit the doxxing of law
enforcement officers, prosecutors, and judges, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Stop the Doxx Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Targeted harassment of law enforcement officers,
prosecutors, and judges has increased significantly in recent
years, including threats made possible by the online
publication of personal information.
(2) The publication of home addresses, personal contact
information, and family details of public servants with intent
to intimidate poses a direct threat to public safety and the
integrity of the justice system.
(3) No comprehensive Federal statute currently prohibits
this conduct.
SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON DOXXING OF PROTECTED PUBLIC SERVANTS.
(a) In General.--Chapter 73 of title 18, United States Code, is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 1522. Doxxing of protected public servants
``(a) Offense.--Whoever, in or affecting interstate or foreign
commerce, knowingly publishes or otherwise makes publicly available the
home address, personal telephone number, personal email address, or
other personally identifying information of a covered public servant or
an immediate family member, with intent to threaten, intimidate, or
facilitate violence against that person, shall be--
``(1) in the case of a first offense, fined under this
title, imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both;
``(2) in the case of a second or subsequest offense, fined
under this title, imprisoned for not more than 20 years, or
both; or
``(3) in the case of an offense that results in bodily
injury or death--
``(A) in the case of a first offense, fined under
this title, imprisoned for not more than 30 years, or
both; or
``(B) in the case of a second or subsequent
offense, fined under this title, imprisoned for not
more than 40 years, or both.
``(b) Civil Action.--A covered public servant or an immediate
family member who is the victim of a violation of this section may
bring a civil action in an appropriate district court of the United
States. In a civil action under this subsection, the court may award
damages, injunctive relief, and attorney's fees.
``(c) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) The term `covered public servant' means a Federal,
State, or local law enforcement officer, prosecutor, or judge.
``(2) The term `immediate family member' means a spouse,
child, parent, or sibling of a covered public servant.
``(3) The term `publishes' means to post on a publicly
accessible website, social media platform, online forum, or any
other digital or print medium accessible to third parties.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 73 of
title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``1522. Doxxing of protected public servants.''.
SEC. 4. TRAINING FOR PROTECTED PUBLIC SERVANTS ON PERSONAL INFORMATION
SECURITY.
(a) In General.--The Attorney General shall establish and make
available a comprehensive training program for covered public servants
(as such term is defined in section 1522 of title 18, United States
Code) on protecting personal information online.
(b) Delivery and Accessibility.--The training program shall be--
(1) made available online and through in-person formats to
accommodate Federal, State, and local agencies of varying size
and resource capacity;
(2) updated no less than annually to reflect current
threats and evolving digital environments; and
(3) offered at no cost to covered public servants at the
Federal, State, and local level.
(c) Encouragement to State and Local Agencies.--The Attorney
General shall encourage State and local law enforcement agencies,
prosecutorial offices, and court systems to require completion of the
training program established under this section as part of their
standard onboarding and annual continuing education requirements.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section.
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