Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R.185) to advance responsible policies.

State attorneys general, district attorneys, and victims could take the Attorney General to federal court. They could ask a judge to order files released, and win damages, costs, and legal fees. Courts must move these cases to the front of the line.

Any member of Congress could ask in writing for the full files. The Attorney General would have 7 calendar days to hand them over. A member who is ignored, or given a false excuse, could sue.

The department could not point to attorney-client talks, staff drafts, or its lawyers' notes to keep files back. Claims of law enforcement privilege would not work either. Only the narrow reasons already in the 2025 law would remain.

The 2025 law lets the department hold back records stamped secret for national security. That reason is deleted. A secret stamp alone would no longer keep an Epstein record from the public.

The 2025 law asked for one written reason to cover all blackouts. Now each blackout would need its own reason. Those reasons go in the Federal Register, the government's daily list of public notices.

A state, its residents, or a local police force counts as harmed if it lost more than $100. Being kept in the dark, or unable to check a report, counts as harm too. That is the bar for filing suit.

On request, a victim would get the full, unblacked-out records about themselves. Records about their parents, brothers, sisters, or guardians count too. That includes FD-302 forms, the FBI's written reports of interviews.

When one victim asks for their file, the department may still black out anything that names another victim. Health and personal files of other victims stay out. A victim gets only the parts about their own case.

Material the public never sees would go to state attorneys general and district attorneys. That includes victims' personal details. They could keep and use copies for their cases. Only a judge's order would limit that.

Staff at the Justice Department and the FBI could be fined or jailed for hiding, destroying, or lying about these records. The Attorney General is covered too. Current laws on obstruction and false statements would apply. A court would still need proof they knew what they were doing.

State attorneys general and district attorneys could get full copies for their own cases. Nothing would be blacked out. They would not just get a supervised look. Justice Department rules that normally gate such requests would not apply. Cases already open are covered too.

The Attorney General could not refuse access because material is stamped secret. State officers would read it in a secure room, under steps a court approves. They could use it in court under seal.

H.R. 185 started in January 2025 as a placeholder spending bill. Its title was 'to advance responsible policies.' This rule throws out that whole text and drops in the Epstein Files Transparency Act II. The swap counts as already approved.