{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://burlison.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-massie-burlison-introduce-legislation-defund-surveillance-state-cameras", "Reps. Massie, Burlison Introduce Legislation to Defund Surveillance State Cameras", "2026-09-03", "2026", "2026-09", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Eric Burlison", "B001316", "burlison.house.gov", "burlison", "https://burlison.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congressman Eric Burlison (R-MO-07) today joined Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) in introducing legislation that would prohibit the use of federal funds to purchase, install, maintain, operate, or upgrade automated license plate readers (ALPRs) and biometric surveillance cameras.\n\n\u201cTechnology may change, but our constitutional rights do not,\u201d said Congressman Eric Burlison. \u201cThe Fourth Amendment protects Americans from unreasonable searches, and advances in surveillance technology should not come at the expense of our privacy and liberty. The federal government should not use taxpayer dollars to build a surveillance state that tracks law-abiding Americans. Our rights are unalienable, and Congress has a responsibility to protect them.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe federal government shouldn\u2019t provide \u2018security\u2019 grants to cities and police departments that have gone beyond the pale and turned their communities into a version of 1984,\u201d said Congressman Thomas Massie. \u201cThe Flock-Off Act withholds federal money from municipalities and police departments that deploy Flock cameras to surveil law-abiding citizens. Federal taxpayers should not be forced to fund the surveillance state.\u201d\n\nThe legislation would:\n\nCuts off federal funding for Flock-style surveillance by prohibiting federal funds from being used to purchase, install, maintain, operate, or upgrade automated license plate readers and biometric surveillance cameras.\n\nRequires federal agencies to remove federally funded systems and requires state and local recipients to stop operating them within 180 days as a condition of continued funding under the relevant federal program.\n\nWithholds federal program funds from recipients until violations of the spending prohibitions are repaid to the United States Treasury.\n\nProhibits federal funds from paying for contracts, subscriptions, cloud services, databases, or data-sharing arrangements connected to covered camera systems.\n\nCovers AI-augmented automated license plate readers and biometric cameras.\n\nDefines biometric data to include facial recognition, voiceprints, iris and retinal scans, fingerprints, and gait recognition.\n\nProvides an exception allowing continued federal funding for cameras located within 1 mile of the Northern and Southern borders that are used for the detection and interdiction of unlawful entry, human trafficking, and drug smuggling.\n\nAllows the continued use of federal funds for ALPRs used solely to collect, administer, or enforce tolls.\n\nOriginal cosponsors of H.R. 10221 include Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Chip Roy (R-TX), and Victoria Spartz (R-IN).", 1, "2026-09-04T09:19:37Z", "2026-09-04T09:20:58Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://burlison.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-massie-burlison-introduce-legislation-defund-surveillance-state-cameras"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.1678636074066162, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}