Criminal History Access Act of 2026

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 8352, the bipartisan Criminal History Access Act of 2026. I applaud my colleague, Mr. Schmidt, for introducing this important bill and for working together to get it through the Judiciary Committee.

Every State has its own standards for determining who may serve as a State or local law enforcement officer. Those standards are set and administered by a State board or agency. These peace officer standards and training agencies, or POST agencies, are often also empowered to certify individuals who may be hired as law enforcement officers, train the potential officers, or assist with vetting other local law enforcement personnel.

This bill would authorize State POST agencies to directly access Federal criminal history records when vetting and certifying law enforcement trainees and officers.

POST agencies are essentially the gatekeepers to the law enforcement profession. Their job is to keep bad actors out. Over 50,000 people apply for law enforcement positions across the country every year, and applicants already sign off on disclosure of their criminal history records as part of that process.

The problem is that current Federal law blocks most POST agencies from accessing those records, so they end up relying on whatever the hiring department shares with them. When disqualifying information gets left out, POST agencies never see it, and someone who shouldn't be certified may get certified.

This bill fixes this by amending 28 U.S.C. 534 to add POST agencies to the list of entities authorized to receive Federal criminal history records, the same access that law enforcement agencies already have. This is a simple, no-cost fix to close this gap.

Again, I thank Congressman Schmidt for working with me in a bipartisan manner to bring this issue to the committee's attention and to propose a commonsense solution.

I thank the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training for their technical expertise and assistance with this legislation, which is also supported by the Major County Sheriffs of America, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Ms. ROSS. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

This bill would provide a limited and logical extension of the authority to share criminal history records so that those who help screen law enforcement officers have the information they need to maintain hiring standards.

As we observe National Police Week, I am pleased to support this legislation that strengthens our law enforcement agencies and improves public safety by ensuring that applicants are appropriately screened.

I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this bipartisan legislation, and I congratulate Congressman Schmidt on a fine bill.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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