[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9887 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9887
To establish a registry to reduce swatting, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 22, 2026
Mr. Walkinshaw (for himself and Ms. Lee of Florida) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a registry to reduce swatting, 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 ``Swatting Registry Best Practices
Act''.
SEC. 2. DEVELOPMENT AND ISSUANCE OF GUIDANCE ON SWATTING REGISTRIES.
(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Attorney General, in consultation with the
Secretary of Homeland Security, shall develop and issue guidance, which
shall include best practices for State, Tribal, territorial, and local
governments and public safety agencies regarding the establishment,
operation, and oversight of voluntary swatting registries and related
public safety protocols.
(b) Consultation.--In developing the guidance under subsection (a),
the Attorney General shall consult with--
(1) State, local, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement
agencies and public safety answering points, including those
serving large, mid-sized, and rural jurisdictions;
(2) public safety, emergency communications, and 9-1-1
system experts with experience in call-taking, dispatch,
computer-aided dispatch systems, and incident response
protocols;
(3) privacy, cybersecurity, data governance, and civil
liberties experts with demonstrated technical expertise in the
secure design, operation, oversight, and auditing of sensitive
public safety databases;
(4) disability access, language access, and victim services
experts with demonstrated expertise in ensuring voluntary
registry programs are accessible to individuals who may face
elevated risks of swatting or targeting harassment;
(5) technology providers and 9-1-1 system vendors with
relevant expertise in secure database design, caller
authentication, and call-handling protocols; and
(6) individuals and households who have been victims of
swatting incidents.
(c) Guidance.--
(1) Contents.--The guidance required under subsection (a)
shall include, at a minimum, the following:
(A) Program design and eligibility.--The best
practices for designing voluntary swatting registries
that--
(i) allow voluntary opt-in by residents;
(ii) identify categories of higher-risk
registrants, including individuals reasonably
believed to face an elevated risk of swatting
or targeting harassment;
(iii) provide clear criteria and procedures
for registration, renewal, and removal; and
(iv) ensure equitable access for
communities with limited English proficiency,
persons with disabilities, and other
underserved groups.
(B) Data elements and data minimization.--The best
practices regarding the necessary data elements to be
collected and stored, which may include--
(i) the address and, where applicable, unit
or apartment number;
(ii) primary and secondary telephone
numbers;
(iii) additional contact methods such as
email addresses or other secure, verifiable
communication channels;
(iv) optional verification mechanisms, such
as pre-agreed code words or phrases, and
contact information for multiple household
members; and
(v) associated time frames or conditions
(such as expected periods of heightened risk),
where applicable, while minimizing the
collection and retention of personally
identifiable information.
(C) Incident response integration.--The best
practices for integrating registry information into
call-taking and dispatch workflows, including--
(i) automated dispatch flags or alerts when
a call originates from, or concerns, a
registered address;
(ii) guidance for tactical response
adjustments when verification suggests a likely
hoax, including options for lower-escalation
approaches such as staged responses,
announcements, or requests for occupants to
meet officers outside when safe to do so; and
(iii) protocols for documentation and
after-action review of incidents involving
registered addresses.
(D) Officer safety and training.--Recommendations
for training call-takers, dispatch personnel, and
responding officers on--
(i) the nature and risks of swatting;
(ii) appropriate use of swatting registry
information in assessing risk and selecting
tactics; and
(iii) avoiding overreliance on unverified
registry data while using such data to reduce
unnecessary risk.
(E) Privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties
protections.--The best practices to--
(i) ensure participation is voluntary and
based on informed consent;
(ii) restrict access to registry data to
authorized personnel, with role-based access
controls;
(iii) require encryption of records at rest
and in transit, and other appropriate
cybersecurity safeguards;
(iv) provide full audit logging of access
and use;
(v) prevent misuse of registry information
for discriminatory or retaliatory purposes; and
(vi) provide notice, redress, and complaint
mechanisms for registrants and the public.
(F) Data retention, accuracy, and governance.--The
best practices regarding--
(i) reasonable limits on data retention;
(ii) procedures for registrants to update
or delete their information at any time;
(iii) periodic review and renewal
mechanisms, including annual prompts or other
methods to ensure accuracy; and
(iv) appropriate governance, including
designation of responsible officers, policy
review cycles, and community engagement.
(G) Technology, interoperability, and funding
considerations.--Recommendations regarding--
(i) technical approaches for integrating
swatting registries with existing 9-1-1 and
computer-aided dispatch systems;
(ii) secure online portals or mechanisms
for registration and updates;
(iii) scalability for small and resource-
constrained jurisdictions; and
(iv) potential Federal resources, including
existing grant programs, that may support
implementation.
(H) Metrics and evaluation.--Recommended metrics
and methodologies to evaluate--
(i) impact on safety outcomes for
residents, pets, and officers;
(ii) impact on property damage, use-of-
force incidents, and traumatic forced entries;
(iii) impact on litigation exposure and
settlement costs; and
(iv) impact on operational efficiency and
deterrence of swatting.
(I) Use beyond swatting.--Considerations for how
registry information, if appropriately designed and
consented to, may safely assist in other types of
emergencies (such as medical crises or wellness
checks), while maintaining clear limitations and
safeguards to prevent overcollection or misuse.
(d) Public Availability.--The Attorney General shall make the
guidance issued under this subsection publicly available on the website
of the Department of Justice, except for any material that would
disclose information that is sensitive or classified.
(e) Updates.--The Attorney General may periodically update the
guidance issued under this subsection as appropriate, including to
reflect technological developments, emerging threats, and lessons
learned from State, Tribal, territorial, and local implementation.
SEC. 3. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND DISSEMINATION.
(a) Technical Assistance.--Subject to the availability of
appropriations, the Attorney General may provide technical assistance
to State, Tribal, territorial, and local public safety agencies seeking
to--
(1) establish voluntary swatting registries consistent with
the guidance issued under section 4; or
(2) integrate swatting-related verification and response
protocols into existing 9-1-1 and dispatch operations.
(b) Use of Existing Programs.--The Attorney General shall, to the
maximum extent practicable, use existing grant and assistance programs
administered by the Department of Justice to disseminate the guidance
issued under this Act and to support eligible jurisdictions that choose
to design or implement swatting registries consistent with such
guidance.
SEC. 4. RULES OF CONSTRUCTION.
Nothing in this Act may be construed to--
(1) authorize the creation or maintenance of a Federal
swatting registry;
(2) require any State, Tribal, territorial, or local
government to establish a swatting registry; and
(3) limit the discretion of responding law enforcement
officers to take actions reasonably necessary to protect life
and public safety.
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Swatting.--The term ``swatting'' means the knowing and
intentional making of a false or misleading report to a public
safety answering point, law enforcement agency, or emergency
service, concerning an alleged ongoing emergency or threat,
with the reasonably foreseeable result of prompting an armed or
otherwise heightened law enforcement response to a person or
address.
(2) Swatting registry.--The term ``swatting registry''
means a voluntary program or database maintained by a State,
Tribal, territorial, or local public safety or law enforcement
agency that--
(A) allows individuals at an elevated risk of
swatting to register an address and associated contact
information;
(B) stores such information in a secure, access-
controlled system available to authorized dispatchers
and supervisory personnel; and
(C) is designed to support verification and
response protocols when an emergency call is received
for a registered address.
(3) Public safety answering point.--The term ``public
safety answering point'' has the meaning given that term in
section 222(h) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C.
222(h)).
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