Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 185) to advance responsible policies.

Bill: 119-hres-581
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Massie, Thomas [R-KY-4]
Introduced: 2025-07-15
Policy area: Congress
Latest action: action_date: 2025-09-02
text: Motion to Discharge Committee filed by Mr. Massie. Petition No: 119-9.

Summaries:
action_date: 2025-07-15
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>This resolution provides a special&nbsp;rule&nbsp;for consideration of&nbsp;H.R. 185 and amends that bill to direct the Department of Justice (DOJ) to make publicly available certain records related to Jeffrey Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell.</p><p>Under H.R. 185, as amended by the resolution,&nbsp;DOJ&nbsp;must publicly disclose all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in its possession that relate to Epstein or Maxwell. The records include unclassified records referring or relating to&nbsp;Epstein's detention and death; flight logs of aircraft owned or used by Epstein; individuals named in connection with Epstein’s criminal activities, civil settlements, or immunity or plea agreements; immunity deals, sealed settlements, or plea bargains of Epstein or his associates; entities with ties to Epstein’s trafficking or financial networks; and internal Department of Justice communications concerning decisions to investigate or charge Epstein or his associates.&nbsp;</p><p>However, under the amended bill, DOJ may withhold or redact portions of records with written justification that such portions contain (1) victims' personally identifiable information; (2) child sexual abuse materials; (3) images of death, physical abuse, or injury; (4) information which would jeopardize an active federal investigation or prosecution; or (5) classified information. DOJ may not withhold or redact records on the basis of embarrassment,&nbsp;reputational harm, or political sensitivity.</p><p>Further, within 15 days of completing the required disclosures, DOJ must provide Congress with a report listing all categories of records released and withheld, all redactions&nbsp;made and their legal basis, and all government officials and politically exposed persons named or referenced in the released materials.</p>

tv_txt: IV 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 581 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 15, 2025 Mr. Massie (for himself and Mr. Khanna ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Rules RESOLUTION Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 185) to advance responsible policies.

That immediately upon adoption of this resolution, the House shall proceed to the consideration in the House of the bill (H.R. 185) to advance responsible policies. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. The amendment in the nature of a substitute specified in section 4 of this resolution shall be considered as adopted. The bill, as amended, shall be considered as read. All points of order against provisions in the bill, as amended, are waived. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill, as amended, and on any further amendment thereto, to final passage without intervening motion except: (1) one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on the Judiciary or their respective designees; and (2) one motion to recommit. 2. Clause 1(c) of rule XIX and clause 8 of rule XX shall not apply to the consideration of H.R. 185. 3. The Clerk shall transmit to the Senate a message that the House has passed H.R. 185 no later than one week after passage. 4. The amendment in the nature of a substitute referred to in the first section of this resolution is as follows: Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following: 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Epstein Files Transparency Act . 2. Release of documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein (a) In general Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall, subject to subsection (b), make publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in the possession of the Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Attorneys’ Offices, that relate to: (1) Jeffrey Epstein including all investigations, prosecutions, or custodial matters. (2) Ghislaine Maxwell. (3) Flight logs or travel records, including but not limited to manifests, itineraries, pilot records, and customs or immigration documentation, for any aircraft, vessel, or vehicle owned, operated, or used by Jeffrey Epstein or any related entity. (4) Individuals, including government officials, named or referenced in connection with Epstein’s criminal activities, civil settlements, immunity or plea agreements, or investigatory proceedings. (5) Entities (corporate, nonprofit, academic, or governmental) with known or alleged ties to Epstein’s trafficking or financial networks. (6) Any immunity deals, non-prosecution agreements, plea bargains, or sealed settlements involving Epstein or his associates. (7) Internal DOJ communications, including emails, memos, meeting notes, concerning decisions to charge, not charge, investigate, or decline to investigate Epstein or his associates. (8) All communications, memoranda, directives, logs, or metadata concerning the destruction, deletion, alteration, misplacement, or concealment of documents, recordings, or electronic data related to Epstein, his associates, his detention and death, or any investigative files. (9) Documentation of Epstein’s detention or death, including incident reports, witness interviews, medical examiner files, autopsy reports, and written records detailing the circumstances and cause of death. (b) Prohibited grounds for withholding No record shall be withheld, delayed, or redacted on the basis of any of the following: (1) Embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary. (c) Permitted withholdings (1) The Attorney General may withhold or redact the segregable portions of records that— (A) 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; (B) depicts or contains child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) as defined under 18 U.S.C. 2256 and prohibited under 18 U.S.C. 2252–2252A; (C) would jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution, provided that such withholding is narrowly tailored and temporary; (D) depicts or contains images of death, physical abuse, or injury of any person; or (E) contain information specifically authorized under criteria established by an Executive order to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or foreign policy and are in fact properly classified pursuant to such Executive order. (2) All redactions must be accompanied by a written justification published in the Federal Register and submitted to Congress. (3) To the extent that any covered information would otherwise be redacted or withheld as classified information under this section, the Attorney General shall declassify that classified information to the maximum extent possible. (A). If the Attorney General makes a determination that covered information may not be declassified and made available in a manner that protects the national security of the United States, including methods or sources related to national security, the Attorney General shall release an unclassified summary for each of the redacted or withheld classified information. (4) All decisions to classify any covered information after July 1, 2025 shall be published in the Federal Register and submitted to Congress, including the date of classification, the identity of the classifying authority, and an unclassified summary of the justification. 3. Report to Congress Within 15 days of completion of the release required under Section 2, the Attorney General shall submit to the House and Senate Committees on the Judiciary a report listing: (1) All categories of records released and withheld. (2) A summary of redactions made, including legal basis. (3) A list of all government officials and politically exposed persons named or referenced in the released materials, with no redactions permitted under subsection (b)(1). .