Rep. Greg Steube of Florida introduced the Facilitating Liberty and Accountability for Flock Observations Act on September 24, according to his verified House account and reporting by the Daily Caller. The measure would bar the federal government from buying, operating or accessing Flock Safety cameras without a judicial warrant.
The Daily Caller, which said it obtained the bill text, reported that the proposal would also make certain Justice Department grants to local law-enforcement agencies contingent on adopting similar privacy rules. The bill text and a congressional bill number were not publicly available in the sources reviewed for this report, so those provisions are attributed to the outlet rather than to an independently reviewed filing.
Flock Safety sells automated license-plate recognition cameras that record vehicle characteristics, location and time. The company says authorized agencies control access to their systems and that every search is logged. Supporters describe the network as an investigative tool, while critics argue that broad location tracking without a warrant threatens privacy and Fourth Amendment protections.
The proposal arrives amid bipartisan scrutiny of license-plate camera networks. The Associated Press reported in September that candidates and lawmakers in several states were seeking tighter limits following reports of misuse and interstate data sharing. Steube said his bill is intended to require a warrant before federal agencies can use the technology.
