YourVoice.Now Summary
Civil LibertiesCriminal Justice & Due ProcessFunds police DNA family-tree searches to solve cold cases and name unknown remains, with privacy limits on how the DNA is used.
Civil Liberties
Police using this money must say who they are on a family-tree site. They could only search sites that tell users and the public that police may look there.
Police using this money could not arrest someone just because a family-tree site linked them. They would also have to check the national DNA database (CODIS) first.
Police using this money could not use DNA to learn about a person's health or mind. They could use it only to find out who someone is.
Grants would pay police and labs to run crime-scene DNA through family-tree websites. Those searches can point to your relatives, even if they never uploaded DNA themselves.
Criminal Justice & Due Process
Congress could provide $5 million a year for testing and $5 million a year for equipment and searches, from 2027 through 2031. The money would help solve cold cases and identify unknown remains.
More about this bill
If someone in your family ever put their DNA on a family-tree website, police could search it more often to solve old crimes. The Justice Department would give grants for this kind of DNA family-tree search. Congress could provide up to $10 million a year from 2027 through 2031. Half would pay for DNA testing. The other half would buy lab equipment and pay for database searches. Police, prosecutors, coroners, medical examiners, and public crime labs could apply. The money would go to cold cases and to naming unknown human remains. Police would first have to check the national DNA database they already use (CODIS). They could try a family-tree search only if that check found no match. They could not arrest anyone based only on a family-tree match. Groups that take the money would have to follow privacy rules. They must say they are police when they use a family-tree site. They could only search sites that tell users police may look there. They would have to ask relatives before taking their DNA, unless that would hurt the case. They could not use anyone's DNA to check for health risks. The Justice Department would write rules within one year. Each grant holder would report its results, including arrests. States could keep stronger privacy laws.
Congressional Summary
Carla Walker Act This bill authorizes the Department of Justice to award grants for pilot programs to support forensic genetic genealogical (FGG) DNA analysis at the state and local levels to generate leads in stalled criminal investigations. FGG DNA analysis means a DNA analysis of genetic samples to develop a forensic genetic genealogical profile that can be used for genealogical searching. Specifically, this bill authorizes competitive grants to support whole genome sequencing of genetic samples that fail to get a DNA match in the Combined DNA Index System using traditional DNA analysis methods. Additionally, the bill authorizes competitive grants to purchase equipment to conduct FGG DNA analysis and genealogical searching or to fund searches to generate investigative leads for criminal investigations or unidentified human remains.
Legislative Subjects
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Senate
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Passed Senate
- Action Date
- 2026-06-10
- Date Added
- 2026-09-30
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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