Civil Right Cold Case Records Collection Reauthorization Act of 2026 - Take Action!

From the Chicago Genealogical Society

Action Alert! 

H.R. 3087 

Support H.R. 3087, titled the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Reauthorization Act of 2026

Established by the bipartisan Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act of 2018, the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board is a nonpartisan panel charged with expediting the review and public release of federal records concerning unresolved civil rights-era cases occurring between 1940 and 1979. Working with federal agencies, the Board applies new disclosure standards to make these records more accessible to victims’ families, legal organizations, journalists, scholars, and the public. By bringing these long-hidden investigative records to light, the Board seeks both to provide greater clarity and closure to victims’ relatives and to promote a more complete understanding of this important and troubled chapter in American history. See https://www.coldcaserecords.gov/ for more information on the board. 

 H.R. 3087, titled the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Reauthorization Act of 2026, extends the operations of the Civil Rights Cold Case Review Board through January 8, 2030. 

Key Provisions:

• Extends the Review Board deadline to January 8, 2030. 
• Directs state and local governments to send cold case files to the Archivist. 
• Allow the Board to pay state and local groups for copy and mail costs. 
• Permits public release of select personnel or medical files tied to cold cases from on or before January 1, 1990. 
• Establishes a clear rule that federal and local civil rights cold case files should have a goal of fast public disclosure. 

H.R. 3087 is important to genealogists because it would extend the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board and expand access to records from unresolved civil-rights cases dating from 1940–1979. These records may contain names, photographs, addresses, correspondence, witness information, and other details not found in traditional genealogical sources, helping descendants uncover family and community histories. Genealogists should support the bill’s reauthorization, the removal of the state and local government exemption, and continued funding for the preservation, digitization, indexing, and public accessibility of these records. Please contact your members of Congress to support this legislation at Congress.gov. 

 Any questions can be directed to advocacy@chicagogenealogy.org