Floor SpeechBipartisan2026-05-19

CRIMINAL HISTORY ACCESS ACT OF 2026

Crime & Justice

Context

On 2026-05-19, Representative Lucy McBath (D-GA-6) delivered a floor speech titled "CRIMINAL HISTORY ACCESS ACT OF 2026" in the House.

Full Text

CRIMINAL HISTORY ACCESS ACT OF 2026

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 85 (Tuesday, May 19, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 19, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E467] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] CRIMINAL HISTORY ACCESS ACT OF 2026 ______ speech of HON. LUCY McBATH of georgia in the house of representatives Tuesday, May 12, 2026 Mrs. McBATH. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 8352, the Criminal History Access Act of 2026. This legislation would improve the vetting of state and local law enforcement officers, and I thank Congressman Schmidt and Congresswoman Ross for working together to craft a straightforward. bipartisan bill. The public counts on our law enforcement agencies to set a high standard for who may become a law enforcement officer. Each state uses a peace officer standards and training agency, or POST agency, to help set the standards and training requirements that a person must meet in order to be eligible to be hired and determine whether candidates actually meet those requirements. Under current law, law enforcement agencies can access the criminal history records of those who apply to be law enforcement officers, but POST agencies cannot. This means that POST agencies must rely on the hiring agency to pass along information about a person's criminal history which might disqualify them from service. This creates an opportunity for mistakes. Those who work on this issue regularly have told us that candidates with disqualifying criminal histories have been hired as law enforcement officers when they should not have. This bill would provide another check against this problem by allowing POST agencies to access criminal history records, which they can use as they assist in vetting and certifying state and local law enforcement officers. This bill is supported by several law enforcement focused organizations, including the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training, the Major County Sheriffs Association, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies. I support this targeted bill to improve the vetting of law enforcement officers which will in turn promote trust and improve public safety.

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CRIMINAL HISTORY ACCESS ACT OF 2026 Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 85 (Tuesday, May 19, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 19, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E467] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] CRIMINAL HISTORY ACCESS ACT OF 2026 ______ speech of HON. LUCY McBATH of georgia in the house of representatives Tuesday, May 12, 2026 Mrs. McBATH. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 8352, the Criminal History Access Act of 2026. This legislation would improve the vetting of state and local law enforcement officers, and I thank Congressman Schmidt and Congresswoman Ross for working together to craft a straightforward. bipartisan bill. The public counts on our law enforcement agencies to set a high standard for who may become a law enforcement officer. Each state uses a peace officer standards and training agency, or POST agency, to help set the standards and training requirements that a person must meet in order to be eligible to be hired and determine whether candidates actually meet those requirements. Under current law, law enforcement agencies can access the criminal history records of those who apply to be law enforcement officers, but POST agencies cannot. This means that POST agencies must rely on the hiring agency to pass along information about a person's criminal history which might disqualify them from service. This creates an opportunity for mistakes. Those who work on this issue regularly have told us that candidates with disqualifying criminal histories have been hired as law enforcement officers when they should not have. This bill would provide another check against this problem by allowing POST agencies to access criminal history records, which they can use as they assist in vetting and certifying state and local law enforcement officers. This bill is supported by several law enforcement focused organizations, including the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training, the Major County Sheriffs Association, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies. I support this targeted bill to improve the vetting of law enforcement officers which will in turn promote trust and improve public safety.