I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7235 
To prohibit use of facial recognition technology on any image acquired by 
body-worn cameras of law enforcement officers, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 18, 2020 
Mr. BEYER (for himself, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. HECK, Mr. RUSH, Mr. SAN NICO-
LAS, Mr. RASKIN, and Ms. NORTON) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the 
Committee on Homeland Security, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To prohibit use of facial recognition technology on any image 
acquired by body-worn cameras of law enforcement offi-
cers, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Stop Biometric Sur-
veillance by Law Enforcement Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) Facial recognition and other biometric sur-
veillance technology pose unique and significant 
threats to the civil rights and civil liberties of resi-
dents and visitors. 
(2) The use of facial recognition and other bio-
metric surveillance is the functional equivalent of re-
quiring every person to show a personal photo iden-
tification card at all times in violation of recognized 
constitutional rights. This technology also allows 
people to be tracked without consent. 
(3) It would also generate massive databases 
about law-abiding Americans, and may chill the ex-
ercise of free speech in public places. 
(4) Facial recognition and other biometric sur-
veillance technology has been repeatedly dem-
onstrated to misidentify women, young people, and 
people of color and to create an elevated risk of 
harmful ‘‘false positive’’ identifications. 
(5) Facial and other biometric surveillance 
would corrupt the core purpose of officer-worn body- 
worn cameras by transforming those devices from 
transparency and accountability tools into roving 
surveillance systems. 
(6) The use of facial recognition and other bio-
metric surveillance would disproportionately impact 
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the civil rights and civil liberties of persons who live 
in highly policed communities. 
(7) Its use would also diminish effective polic-
ing and public safety by discouraging people in these 
communities, including victims of crime, undocu-
mented persons, people with unpaid fines and fees, 
and those with prior criminal history from seeking 
police assistance or from assisting the police. 
SEC. 3. PROHIBITING USE OF FACIAL RECOGNITION TECH-
NOLOGY AND OTHER BIOMETRIC SURVEIL-
LANCE SYSTEMS. 
(a) BYRNE GRANT.— 
(1) PROHIBITION.—A State or unit of local 
government may not use facial recognition tech-
nology or other biometric surveillance systems on 
any image acquired by body-worn cameras of law en-
forcement officers. 
(2) ENFORCEMENT.—In the case that a State 
or unit of local government violates paragraph (1), 
the Attorney General shall reduce by 5 percent the 
amount that the State or unit of local government 
would have otherwise received under subpart 1 of 
part E of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and 
Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10151 et seq.). 
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(3) REALLOCATION.—Amounts not allocated to 
a State or unit of local government that violates 
paragraph (1) shall be reallocated, in accordance 
with subpart 1 of part E of title I of the Omnibus 
Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 
U.S.C. 10151 et seq.), to States and units of local 
government that have complied with such paragraph 
(1). 
(b) URBAN AREA SECURITY INITIATIVE GRANT.— 
(1) PROHIBITION.—A high-risk urban area may 
not use facial recognition technology or other bio-
metric surveillance systems on any image acquired 
by body-worn cameras of law enforcement officers. 
(2) ENFORCEMENT.—In the case that a high- 
risk urban area violates paragraph (1), the Adminis-
trator of the Federal Emergency Management Agen-
cy shall reduce by 5 percent the amount that the 
high-risk urban area would have otherwise received 
under section 2003 of the Homeland Security Act of 
2002 (6 U.S.C. 101 et seq.). 
(3) REALLOCATION.—Amounts not allocated to 
a high-risk urban area that violates paragraph (1) 
shall be reallocated, in accordance with section 2003 
of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 
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101 et seq.), to high-risk urban areas that have com-
plied with such paragraph (1). 
(c) STATE HOMELAND SECURITY GRANT.— 
(1) PROHIBITION.—A State may not use facial 
recognition technology or other biometric surveil-
lance systems on any image acquired by body-worn 
cameras of law enforcement officers. 
(2) ENFORCEMENT.—In the case that a State 
violates paragraph (1), the Administrator of the 
Federal Emergency Management Agency shall re-
duce by 5 percent the amount that the high-risk 
urban area would have otherwise received under sec-
tion 2004 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 
U.S.C. 101 et seq.). 
(3) REALLOCATION.—Amounts not allocated to 
a State that violates paragraph (1) shall be reallo-
cated, in accordance with section 2004 of the Home-
land Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 101 et seq.), to 
States that have complied with such paragraph (1). 
(d) FEDERAL PROHIBITION.—A Federal law enforce-
ment agency may not use facial recognition technology or 
other biometric surveillance systems on any image ac-
quired by body-worn cameras of law enforcement officers. 
(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
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(1) BIOMETRIC
DATA.—The term ‘‘biometric 
data’’ means a physiological, biological, or behavioral 
characteristic that can be used, singly or in combina-
tion with each other or with other information, to es-
tablish individual identity. 
(2) BIOMETIC
SURVEILLANCE
SYSTEM.—The 
term ‘‘biometric surveillance system’’ means any 
computer software or application that performs fa-
cial recognition or other biometric surveillance. 
(3) BODY-WORN
CAMERA.—The term ‘‘body- 
worn camera’’ means an officer camera or similar 
device that records or transmits images or sound 
and is attached to the body or clothing of, or carried 
by, a law enforcement officer. 
(4) FACIAL
RECOGNITION
TECHNOLOGY
OR 
OTHER BIOMETRIC SURVEILLANCE.—The term ‘‘fa-
cial recognition technology or other biometric sur-
veillance’’— 
(A) means an automated or semiautomated 
process that— 
(i) captures or analyzes biometric data 
of an individual to identify or assist in 
identifying an individual; or 
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(ii) generates, or assists in generating, 
surveillance information about an indi-
vidual based on biometric data; and 
(B) does not include the use of an auto-
mated or semiautomated process for the pur-
pose of redacting a recording for release or dis-
closure outside the law enforcement agency to 
protect the privacy of a subject depicted in the 
recording, if the process does not generate or 
result in the retention of any biometric data or 
surveillance information. 
(5) USE.—The term ‘‘use’’ means one or both 
of the following: 
(A) The direct use of a biometric surveil-
lance system by a law enforcement officer or a 
law enforcement agency. 
(B) A request or agreement by a law en-
forcement officer or law enforcement agency 
that another law enforcement agency or other 
third party use a biometric surveillance system 
on behalf of the requesting officer or agency. 
Æ 
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