I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2985 

To require Federal law enforcement agencies to report to Congress serious 

crimes, authorized as well as unauthorized, committed by their confidential informants. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 8, 2015 

Mr. LYNCH introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To require Federal law enforcement agencies to report to 

Congress serious crimes, authorized as well as unauthorized, committed by their confidential informants. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Confidential Informant 

5 Accountability Act of 2015’’. 

6 SEC. 2. REPORT. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than March 1 and Sep8 tember 1 of each year, the head of each department that 

9 contains a law enforcement agency shall, with respect to 


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1 each law enforcement agency within that Department, 

2 fully report to the House Committee on Oversight and 

3 Government Reform, the House Committee on the Judici4 ary, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and 

5 Governmental Affairs, and the Senate Committee on the 

6 Judiciary— 

7 (1) all serious crimes, authorized and unauthor8 ized, committed by informants maintained by the 

9 law enforcement agency; and 

10 (2) the amounts expended by the law enforce11 ment agency on payments to such informants. 

12 (b) PERIOD COVERED.—Each report due on March 

13 1 of a year shall cover serious crimes that took place dur14 ing the 6-month period beginning July 1 and ending De15 cember 31 of the preceding year. Each report due on Sep16 tember 1 of a year shall cover serious crimes that took 

17 place beginning January 1 and ending June 30 of that 

18 year. 

19 (c) CONTENTS.— 

20 (1) REQUIRED.—Each report under subsection 

21 (a) shall include a description of the total number of 

22 each type and category of crime; the amount of 

23 drugs involved if the crime is a drug crime; the 

24 amount of money involved if the crime is a theft or 

25 bribery crime; whether the crime was authorized or 


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1 unauthorized; the State in which each crime took 

2 place; and any amounts expended from sources other 

3 than appropriated amounts, including from assets 

4 seized and forfeited by offenders and any tangible 

5 benefits, including relocation costs, rent, travel ex6 penses, or other transfers in kind. 

7 (2) PROHIBITED.—The report shall not contain 

8 individual informant names, informant control num9 bers, or other personal identification information 

10 that could reveal the identity of an individual in11 formant. 

12 (d) ARREST OR CHARGE OF INFORMANT NOT TO AF13 FECT DUTY TO REPORT.—The duty to report crimes 

14 under this section exists regardless of whether the inform15 ant has or has not been arrested or charged with the re16 portable crime in any jurisdiction. 

17 (e) DISCLAIMER.—Nothing in this section limits the 

18 authority and responsibility of the appropriate committees 

19 of each House of Congress to obtain such information as 

20 they may need to carry out their respective functions and 

21 duties. 

22 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

23 (1) the term ‘‘department that contains a law 

24 enforcement agency’’ means the Department of JusVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:27 Jul 10, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2985.IH H2985

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1 tice, the Department of Homeland Security, and the 

2 Department of the Treasury; 

3 (2) the term ‘‘law enforcement agency’’ means 

4 the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug En5 forcement Administration, the United States Secret 

6 Service, United States Immigration and Customs 

7 Enforcement, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, 

8 Firearms and Explosives; 

9 (3) the term ‘‘informant’’ means any individual 

10 who is believed to be providing useful and credible 

11 information to the law enforcement agency for any 

12 authorized information collection activity, and from 

13 whom the law enforcement agency expects or intends 

14 to obtain additional useful and credible information 

15 in the future, and whose identity, information, or re16 lationship with the law enforcement agency warrants 

17 confidential handling; and 

18 (4) the term ‘‘serious crime’’ means— 

19 (A) any serious violent felony as that term 

20 is defined in section 3559(c)(2)(F) of title 18, 

21 United States Code; 

22 (B) any serious drug offense as that term 

23 is defined in section 3559(c)(2)(H) of title 18, 

24 United States Code; or 


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1 (C) an offense consisting of racketeering, 

2 bribery, child pornography, obstruction of jus3 tice, or perjury, 

4 that an agent or employee of the relevant law en5 forcement agency has reasonable grounds to believe 

6 that an informant has committed. 

Æ 


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