Congressional Oversight Access Act

119 HR 4337 IH: Congressional Oversight Access Act U.S. House of Representatives 2025-07-10 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 4337 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 10, 2025 Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania (for herself, Mr. Frost , Mrs. Ramirez , Mr. Lynch , Mr. Jackson of Illinois , Mrs. Watson Coleman , Ms. Ansari , Mr. Thanedar , Ms. Bonamici , Ms. Simon , Mr. Carter of Louisiana , Ms. Salinas , Mr. Krishnamoorthi , Ms. Tokuda , Ms. Tlaib , Mr. Hernández , Ms. Dexter , Ms. Williams of Georgia , Ms. Ocasio-Cortez , and Mr. Casar ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform A BILL To prohibit the use of physical force by executive branch personnel against Members of Congress conducting oversight in their official capacity, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Congressional Oversight Access Act . 2. Prohibition on use of force against Members of Congress (a) Prohibited actions No officer, agent, contractor, or employee of the executive branch may use physical force, detain, remove, or otherwise physically interfere with a Member of Congress who— (1) is conducting a covered oversight activity; (2) presents valid congressional identification or identifies themselves as a Member of Congress; (3) is present in or on the premises of any federally controlled property; and (4) does not pose a clear and imminent physical threat to persons or property. (b) Application Nothing in this section shall be construed to— (1) exempt a Member of Congress from lawful security screening or building access procedures; or (2) prevent action in response to a clear and imminent physical threat to persons or property. (c) Definitions In this section, the following definitions apply: (1) Covered oversight activity The term covered oversight activity means any activity that includes the review, monitoring, supervision, investigation, visitation, whether scheduled or unscheduled, by a Member of Congress acting in their official capacity, with respect to the execution of laws, compliance with court orders, or the administration of Federal programs, policies, or operations. (2) Federally controlled property The term federally controlled property means any building, land, or other real property owned, leased, operated, occupied, or used under contract, cooperative agreement, or intergovernmental service agreement by the Federal Government or any executive branch agency (including detention centers and field-control sites).