IB 

Union Calendar No. 606 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5783 

[Report No. 115–780] 

To provide a safe harbor for financial institutions that maintain a customer 

account at the request of a Federal or State law enforcement agency. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 11, 2018 

Mr. HILL (for himself and Mr. FOSTER) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Financial Services 

JUNE 25, 2018 

Additional sponsors: Mr. HOLLINGSWORTH and Ms. SINEMA

JUNE 25, 2018 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on May 11, 2018] 


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•HR 5783 RH

A BILL 

To provide a safe harbor for financial institutions that maintain a customer account at the request of a Federal 

or State law enforcement agency. 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
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•HR 5783 RH

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 ‘‘Cooperate with Law 

5 Enforcement Agencies and Watch Act of 2018’’. 

6 SEC. 2. SAFE HARBOR WITH RESPECT TO KEEP OPEN LET7 TERS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 53 of title 

9 31, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 

10 the following: 

11 ‘‘§ 5333. Safe harbor with respect to keep open letters 

12 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—With respect to a customer ac13 count of a financial institution, if a Federal, State, Tribal, 

14 or local law enforcement agency requests, in writing, the 

15 financial institution to keep such account open— 

16 ‘‘(1) the financial institution shall not be liable 

17 under this subchapter for maintaining such account 

18 consistent with the parameters of the request; and 

19 ‘‘(2) no Federal or State department or agency 

20 may take any adverse supervisory action under this 

21 subchapter with respect to the financial institution 

22 for maintaining such account consistent with the pa23 rameters of the request. 

24 ‘‘(b) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec25 tion may be construed— 


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•HR 5783 RH

1 ‘‘(1) from preventing a Federal or State depart2 ment or agency from verifying the validity of a writ3 ten request described under subsection (a) with the 

4 Federal, State, Tribal, or local law enforcement agen5 cy making the written request; or 

6 ‘‘(2) to relieve a financial institution from com7 plying with any reporting requirements, including 

8 the reporting of suspicious transactions under section 

9 5318(g). 

10 ‘‘(c) LETTER TERMINATION DATE.—For purposes of 

11 this section, any written request described under subsection 

12 (a) shall include a termination date after which such re13 quest shall no longer apply.’’. 

14 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents for 

15 chapter 53 of title 31, United States Code, is amended by 

16 inserting after the item relating to section 5332 the fol17 lowing: 

‘‘5333. Safe harbor with respect to keep open letters.’’. 


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rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
Union Calendar No. 606 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5783 

[Report No. 115–780] 

A BILL 

To provide a safe harbor for financial institutions 

of a Federal or State law enforcement agency. that maintain a customer account at the request 

JUNE 25, 2018 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Comand ordered to be printed mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS