119th Congress · introduced in the House · Apr 20, 2026
Monitor Accountability Act
Official title from Congress.gov
Latest action (May 18, 2026): Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
View on Congress.govPolicy area: Law
Congressional Research Service summary, version: Reported to House (May 4, 2026)
Monitor Accountability Act
This bill requires the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts to establish conditions on the appointment of monitors to oversee state and local governmental entities. A monitor is an independent official appointed to oversee corrective reforms as part of a civil settlement agreement or consent decree, such as to remedy a pattern or practice of unconstitutional policing.
Among the conditions, this bill requires notice and an opportunity for public comment prior to the appointment of a monitor, limits an individual to one monitor appointment at a time, sets a five-year term limit for monitors, and requires a public accounting of the fees charged and services provided by the monitor. It also caps fees and explicitly authorizes the use of pro bono services.
In 2021, the Department of Justice began implementing a set of principles and specific recommendations regarding the use of monitors in civil settlement agreements and consent decrees involving state and local governmental entities, including recommendations relating to term limits, capping fees, and public accountability.
Includes amendment, cloture, and procedural votes. Each is labeled with its exact question; only a passage question is a vote to pass the bill.
House · May 14, 2026 · Roll call 173 · Passed
House · May 14, 2026 · Roll call 172 · Failed
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
On passage Passed by recorded vote: 219 - 204 (Roll no. 173). (text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR H3480) Roll call details
Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by recorded vote: 219 - 204 (Roll no. 173). (text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR H3480) Roll call details
On motion to recommit Failed by the Yeas and Nays: 210 - 213 (Roll no. 172). Roll call details
Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H3507-3509)
POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on H.R. 8365, the Chair put the question on motion to recommit and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Mr. Boyle (PA) demanded the yeas and nays and the Chair postponed further proceedings until a time to be announced.
The previous question on the motion to recommit was ordered pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule XIX.
Mr. Boyle (PA) moved to recommit to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text: CR H3486)
The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.
DEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H.R. 8365.
Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 5625, H.R. 6260, H.R. 8365, H. Con. Res. 96 and H.R. 8469. The resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 5625, H.R. 6260, H.R. 8365, and H.Con.Res. 96 under a closed rule. The resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 8469 under a structured rule. The resolution makes in order one motion to recommit on each bill.
Federal district courts · Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management · Government information and archives · Judicial procedure and administration · Legal fees and court costs
LD-2 reports whose issue descriptions explicitly cite this bill (bill type and number validated against Congress.gov records). A citation does not establish the client's position or any contact with a member.
Loading lobbying reportsConsidered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 1275. (consideration: CR H3480-3486)
Rules Committee Resolution H. Res. 1275 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 5625, H.R. 6260, H.R. 8365, H. Con. Res. 96 and H.R. 8469. The resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 5625, H.R. 6260, H.R. 8365, and H.Con.Res. 96 under a closed rule. The resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 8469 under a structured rule. The resolution makes in order one motion to recommit on each bill.
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 551.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 119-635.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 119-635.
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 13 - 11.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Actions from Congress.gov, newest first.
Coverage: reports for 2025 onward, posted Jan 1, 2025 through Oct 24, 2026.
4 citations.
PEACE OFFICERS RESEARCH ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA · lobbying firm or registrant: STEPTOE LLP
2026 Q3 report (Jul 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2026) · posted Oct 20, 2026 · issue area: Law Enforcement/Crime/Criminal Justice
$50,000
Paid to lobbying firm
…S. 3897); Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2025 (H.R. 909 / S. 1982); Strong Communities Act of 2025 (H.R. 3458 / S. 1316); Monitor Accountability Act (H.R. 8365 / S. 4917); Flock Off Act (H.R. 10221); American Drone Manufacturing Dominance Act (H.R. 10116); Emergency Responders Mental Health Training Act (H.R. 10349);…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION · lobbying firm or registrant: AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION
2026 Q3 report (Jul 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2026) · posted Oct 19, 2026 · issue area: Civil Rights/Civil Liberties
$950,000
Spent on own lobbying
…n the United States should be equitable, transparent, and based on the best available peer-reviewed evidence-based science-Issues Lobbied: Reproductive Rights. H.R. 8365-Monitor Accountability Act-Issues Lobbied: Policing, Prisons. H.R. 1589-American Dream and Promise Act of 2025-Issues Lobbied: Immigrant Rights, Immigration Re…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION · lobbying firm or registrant: AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION
2026 Q2 report (Apr 1, 2026 – Jun 30, 2026) · posted Jul 20, 2026 · issue area: Civil Rights/Civil Liberties
$670,000
Spent on own lobbying
…ied: Reproductive Rights. H.R. 9171-Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2027-Issues Lobbied: Reproductive Rights. H.R. 8365-Monitor Accountability Act-Issues Lobbied: Criminal Justice Reform, Policing, Prisons. H.R. 6890-PROTECT Immigration Act of 2025-Issues Lobbied: Immigration En…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
PEACE OFFICERS RESEARCH ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA · lobbying firm or registrant: STEPTOE LLP
2026 Q2 report (Apr 1, 2026 – Jun 30, 2026) · posted Jul 19, 2026 · issue area: Law Enforcement/Crime/Criminal Justice
$50,000
Paid to lobbying firm
…S. 3897); Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2025 (H.R. 909 / S. 1982); Strong Communities Act of 2025 (H.R. 3458 / S. 1316); Monitor Accountability Act (H.R. 8365 / S. 4917)
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing