[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7814 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7814
To establish an independent statutory commission within the legislative
branch responsible for ensuring oversight, transparency, and
accountability over the Department of Justice operations and handling
of the Epstein Files, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 5, 2026
Mr. Bell introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish an independent statutory commission within the legislative
branch responsible for ensuring oversight, transparency, and
accountability over the Department of Justice operations and handling
of the Epstein Files, 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 ``Ensuring Prosecutorial Scrutiny,
Transparency, and Equal Impartiality Nationwide Act'' or the ``EPSTEIN
Act''.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMISSION.
There is established in the legislative branch a commission to be
known as the Epstein Transparency and Accountability Commission (in
this Act referred to as the ``Commission'') to examine and investigate
all materials in the possession, custody, or control of the Department
of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and United
States Attorneys' Offices, that are required to be preserved,
disclosed, or maintained under Public Law 119-38.
SEC. 3. COMPOSITION OF COMMISSION.
(a) Membership.--
(1) In general.--The Commission shall be composed of 8
members, of whom--
(A) 2 shall be appointed by the majority leader of
the Senate, in consultation with the appropriate
committees of jurisdictions;
(B) 2 shall be appointed by the Speaker of the
House of Representatives, in consultation with the
appropriate committees of jurisdictions;
(C) 2 shall be appointed by the minority leader of
the Senate, in consultation with the appropriate
committees of jurisdictions; and
(D) 2 shall be appointed by the minority leader of
the House of Representatives, in consultation with the
appropriate committees of jurisdictions.
(2) Initial appointments.--Initial appointments to the
Commission shall be made not later than 60 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act.
(3) Vacancy.--A vacancy on the Commission shall be filled
in the same manner as the initial appointment.
(b) Qualifications; Limitations.--
(1) Qualifications.--It is the sense of the Congress that
individuals appointed to the Commission should be prominent
United States citizens with national recognition and
significant depth of experience in fields related to human
trafficking, forced labor, sexual exploitation, and coercion.
(2) Limitation.--No person who is a Member of Congress
(including a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to the Congress)
or an officer, official, or employee of the Department of
Justice may serve as a member of the Commission or provide
consultation services to the Commission.
(c) Chairperson; Vice-Chairperson.--
(1) In general.--At the initial meeting of the Commission,
the Commission shall select a Chairperson and a Vice-
Chairperson from among its members.
(2) Political party affiliation.--The Chairperson and Vice-
Chairperson of the Commission may not be from the same
political party.
(d) Consultant Services.--The Commission may procure the services
of experts and consultants in accordance with section 3109 of title 5,
United States Code, and shall allow the referral of credible evidence
of crimes to those contracted, who may be but are not limited to--
(1) experts on sex and labor trafficking;
(2) State and Federal law enforcement;
(3) the chief legal officer of a State; and
(4) former Federal law enforcement.
SEC. 4. FUNCTIONS OF THE COMMISSION.
(a) In General.--The Commission shall--
(1) conduct an independent, impartial, and comprehensive
investigation into any criminal violations committed by Jeffrey
Epstein and any accomplices or associated individuals;
(2) ensure rigorous, independent investigation and
oversight regarding the review and analysis of all materials
commonly referred to as the ``Epstein files'';
(3) consult with and refer matters to appropriate legal,
prosecutorial, and subject-matter experts to determine
recommended next steps for any violations identified;
(4) review all unredacted information and data relating to
Jeffrey Epstein's actions, activities, communications, and
interactions with others, to the fullest extent permitted by
law;
(5) promote and ensure public transparency in the
Department of Justice's enforcement of Federal human
trafficking laws, consistent with protecting victims and
ongoing investigations;
(6) exercise any additional oversight authority deemed
necessary by the Commission, including authority carried out
directly or through contracted experts; and
(7) issue quarterly reports to Congress detailing
investigative progress, findings, recommendations, and any
identified compliance or enforcement concerns.
(b) Explicit Referral Authority.--The Commission has the authority
to refer matters to relevant entities recommending prosecution under
chapter 77 of title 18, United States Code, and to a State attorney
general recommending prosecution under relevant State law upon findings
indicating potential criminal conduct and may hold public hearings
about potential violations of applicable requirements.
(c) Report on Results of Referral.--An entity that receives a
referral under subsection (b) shall submit to Congress a report on each
prosecution, conviction, resolution, or other disposition that results
from a referral made.
(d) Authority To Request and Receive Information From Federal
Agencies.--
(1) In general.--The Commission may secure directly from
any Federal agency such information, relevant to its functions,
as may be necessary to enable the Commission to carry out this
section.
(2) Request for information.--Upon request of the
Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson of the Commission, the head of
a Federal agency shall furnish such information to the
Commission in a publicly available, searchable and downloadable
format with all unclassified records, documents,
communications, and investigative materials.
(e) Power to Subpoena.--Subpoenas may be issued under the signature
of both the Chairperson and the Vice-Chairperson of the Commission or
by the affirmative vote of 5 members of the Commission and may be
served by any person designated by such co-chairs.
(f) Enforcement.--
(1) In general.--In the case of contumacy or failure to
obey a subpoena issued under this section, the United States
district court for the judicial district in which the
subpoenaed person resides, is served, or may be found, or where
the subpoena is returnable, may issue an order requiring such
person to appear at any designated place to testify or to
produce documentary or other evidence. Any failure to obey the
order of the court may be punished by the court as a contempt
of that court.
(2) Additional enforcement.--If any witness fails to comply
with any subpoena issued under this section or to testify when
summoned under authority of this section, the Commission may,
by majority vote, certify a statement of fact constituting such
failure to the appropriate United States attorney, who may
bring the matter before the grand jury for its action, under
the same statutory authority and procedures as if the United
States attorney had received a certification under sections 102
through 104 of the Revised Statutes of the United States (2
U.S.C. 192 through 194).
SEC. 5. FINAL CLASSIFICATION AND PUBLIC RELEASE REPORT.
(a) In General.--The Commission shall, not later than 18 months
after the date of the establishment of the Commission, submit to
Congress a report on the results of the investigation conducted under
section 4(a) and such report shall--
(1) be submitted in unclassified form, to the greatest
extent possible, with a classified annex only if necessary;
(2) in the case of the unclassified portion of the report,
be posted on a public website established and maintained by the
Commission and such other Federal agencies as may be
appropriate; and
(3) include--
(A) updates on cases pending on perpetrators of
human trafficking crimes;
(B) a description of Federal efforts to estimate
the prevalence of human trafficking at the national and
regional levels in regard to the Epstein investigation;
(C) an examination of the effectiveness of current
policies and procedures to address the needs of victims
of trafficking;
(D) an analysis of demographic characteristics of
victims of trafficking in different regions of the
United States; and
(E) recommendations for how to address the unique
vulnerabilities of different victims.
(b) Permitted Withholdings.--With respect to the report submitted
under subsection (a), the Commission may withhold or redact the
segregable portions of records that--
(1) contain personally identifiable information of victims
or victims' personal and medical files and similar files the
disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted
invasion of personal privacy;
(2) depict or contain child sexual abuse materials (CSAM)
as defined under section 2256 of title 18, United States Code,
and prohibited under sections 2252 and 2252A of such title; or
(3) depict or contain images of death, physical abuse, or
injury of any person.
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be
necessary for the Commission to carry out its duties under this Act.
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