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
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.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Congressional Oversight Access Act
.
Sec. 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).