Renewed Hope Act

Sponsor: Laurel M. Lee (Republican-FL)January 9, 2026

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Introduced

In Committee

Passed One Chamber

Passed Both Chambers

Signed into Law

Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.

Protects child exploitation victims by boosting Homeland Security's rescue teams and privacy rules.

This bill would strengthen efforts to find and rescue child sexual exploitation victims. It would add 200 new investigators and analysts to Homeland Security. It would create a special training program for law enforcement. It would also set strict rules to protect victims' personal information.

What Would Change

Today, there are no specific laws mandating the number of child exploitation investigators or a dedicated victim identification training program within Homeland Security. This bill would change that by requiring 200 new personnel for these roles, establishing a formal training program, and creating official procedures for coordinating investigations within DHS and with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. It would also put in place strict privacy protections for victims' identifying information.

Key Provisions

Requires strict privacy rules for any information that could identify child sexual exploitation victims.
Adds 200 new forensics analysts and child exploitation investigators to Homeland Security Investigations.
Creates a new training program for law enforcement and other groups on how to identify child sexual exploitation victims.
Establishes formal procedures for Homeland Security agencies to coordinate child sexual exploitation investigations.
Allows Homeland Security Investigations to hire qualified candidates for these new positions more quickly.

View on Congress.gov

HR 6998 · 119th Congress · January 9, 2026 · AI Summary by gemini-2.5-flash · 7/10

Renewed Hope Act

What Would Change

Key Provisions

Lobbying Activity