Story perspectives

Sanders, AOC Introduce Ban Flock Act Targeting ALPRs

By Drooid · Oct 3, 2026, 12:01 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Jeff Merkley and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced the Ban Flock Act to bar ALPR use.
The bill would suspend federal grants to any state or local government using ALPRs.
It allows individuals to sue the federal government for ALPR violations, except toll enforcement.
Rep. Thomas Massie and Sen. Josh Hawley introduced bills to block federal ALPR funding and require ten-day data deletion.

History

Historical Context

After the September 11 2001 attacks, Congress passed the USA PATRIOT Act (signed by President George W. Bush) granting expanded surveillance. Sunset clauses forced reauthorizations in 2005, 2006 and 2011, while civil-rights groups such as the ACLU repeatedly challenged its provisions. The ongoing debate spurred the 2024 Ban Flock Act introduced by Senators Sanders, Merkley and Rep. Ocasio-Cortez to curb ALPR use.

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Story summary

Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Jeff Merkley and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced the Ban Flock Act to bar ALPR use.
The bill would suspend federal grants to any state or local government using ALPRs.
It allows individuals to sue the federal government for ALPR violations, except toll enforcement.
Rep. Thomas Massie and Sen. Josh Hawley introduced bills to block federal ALPR funding and require ten-day data deletion.

1 / 2