{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://frankel.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=5012", "Protections for Epstein Survivors and Crime Victims Advance in House Appropriations Bill", "2026-05-18", "2026", "2026-05", "Democrat", "House", "FL", "Lois Frankel", "F000462", "frankel.house.gov", "frankel", "https://frankel.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "Rep. Frankel joined Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee to advance two key provisions in the proposed Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) appropriations bill to protect survivors of Epstein sexual abuse and strengthen victims\u2019 rights in the justice system. This follows the recent House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Democrats' field hearing on the Epstein case held in Palm Beach County. Rep. Frankel will be available for interviews from 11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. tomorrow, May 19, to discuss her work to secure these critical protections for survivors. Interested press should contact Elle Walters (904-624-2523) for the specific location.\n\nWith bipartisan support, the House Appropriations Committee advanced provisions to:\n\nRequire the Department of Justice (DOJ) to remove and prohibit the public release of personally identifying information of Epstein survivors on DOJ websites and in public materials.\n\nDirect the DOJ Inspector General to review DOJ compliance with the Crime Victims\u2019 Rights Act (CVRA) and examine reforms needed to ensure all survivors are guaranteed their rights under the law, including timely notification of plea agreements before they are finalized \u2014 addressing the very loophole exploited in Epstein\u2019s secret 2008 non-prosecution agreement.\n\nAt the recent House Oversight and Government Reform Democratic field hearing in Palm Beach County, survivors recounted how prosecutors failed to notify them of Epstein\u2019s secret non-prosecution agreement, shutting survivors out of the justice process. Survivors were recently retraumatized by the Trump DOJ publicly releasing their personal information.\n\n\u201cThese bipartisan provisions will help protect survivors\u2019 dignity and privacy while strengthening the rights of crime victims to be informed, heard, and treated fairly under the law.\u201d\n\nThe FY27 CJS funding bill awaits consideration by the full House and the Senate. As it moves forward, Rep. Frankel will continue to push for the inclusion of these two provisions.", 1, "2026-05-20T06:27:31Z", "2026-05-20T06:28:54Z"]], "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://frankel.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=5012"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8649039082229137, "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"}