GUARD Act
Latest action · Sep 16, 2026 Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 627.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedApr 21, 2025
- Passed HouseSep 15, 2026
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Guarding Unprotected Aging Retirees from Deception Act of 2026 or the GUARD Act of 2026
This bill allows state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies and grantees that receive funds from certain law enforcement grant programs to use the funds to investigate general financial fraud, elder financial fraud, and pig butchering. Pig butchering refers to a confidence and investment fraud in which a victim is gradually lured into transferring increasing amounts of money, generally in the form of cryptocurrency, into a fake virtual investment.
The bill allows federal law enforcement agencies to assist state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies and fusion centers in the use of tracing tools for blockchain and related technology tools.
Finally, the bill requires the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) to report on efforts to combat general financial fraud, elder financial fraud, pig butchering, and scams, including an evaluation of any legislative recommendations to improve the efforts. The bill also requires FinCEN to report on the state of general financial fraud, elder financial fraud, pig butchering, and scams in the United States, including trends in the crimes.
Recorded votes 1
Newest first. Open one to see how every member voted.
| Roll call | Question | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House 301 | On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended | Passed414–7 | Sep 15, 2026 |
Cosponsors 54
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Apr 21, 2025 to Sep 14, 2026; 2 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-NJ | Josh Gottheimer | Original | Apr 21, 2025 |
| R-WI | Scott Fitzgerald | Original | Apr 21, 2025 |
| R-TX | Troy E. Nehls | Aug 1, 2025 | |
| R-IN | Jefferson Shreve | Sep 15, 2025 | |
| R-AL | Barry Moore | Sep 26, 2025 | |
| R-PA | Daniel Meuser | Sep 26, 2025 | |
| R-TX | Roger Williams | Sep 26, 2025 | |
| D-DE | Sarah McBride | Sep 26, 2025 | |
| D-NY | Laura Gillen | Oct 14, 2025 | |
| D-CA | Josh Harder | Oct 24, 2025 | |
| D-IL | Eric Sorensen | Nov 17, 2025 | |
| D-CA | Julia Brownley | Nov 17, 2025 | |
| R-KY | Andy Barr | Nov 18, 2025 | |
| R-WI | Glenn Grothman | Nov 19, 2025 | |
| D-NY | John W. Mannion | Dec 9, 2025 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred Apr 21, 2025 |
| House | Financial Services Committee | Referred Apr 21, 2025Markup May 13, 2026Reported Jun 24, 2026 |
Actions 13
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Sep 16, 2026Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 627.
- Sep 15, 2026Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H5822)
- Sep 15, 2026Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 414 - 7 (Roll no. 301). (text: CR H5602-5603)
- Sep 15, 2026Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Sep 14, 2026Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H5602-5605)
- Sep 14, 2026Ms. De La Cruz moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Sep 14, 2026DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 2978.
- Sep 14, 2026At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
- Jun 24, 2026Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Financial Services. H. Rept. 119-709, Part I.
- May 13, 2026Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
- May 13, 2026Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 52 - 0.
- Apr 21, 2025Introduced in House
- Apr 21, 2025Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
In the Congressional Record 2
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Recorded votes H5822enact | — | Sep 15, 2026 |
| House | Debate and remarks H5602–H5605Text printed H5602 | Brad Sherman D-CA, Daniel Meuser R-PA, Monica De La Cruz R-TX, Zachary Nunn R-IA | Sep 14, 2026 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Committee report
Congressional Budget Office cost estimate
- Jun 18, 2026H.R. 2978, GUARD Act of 2026As ordered reported by the House Committee on Financial Services on May 13, 2026
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 171, no. 68, April 21, 2025, page H1618.
Printed hearings 1
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| S. Hrg. 119-150 | PROTECTING FLORIDA'S SENIORS: FIGHTING FRAUD AND FINANCIAL EXPLOITATION49 pages | Aging (Special) Committee | Aug 7, 2025 |
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R49432 | Online Scam Centers in Southeast Asia: Background and U.S. Responses | Report | Sep 30, 2026 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 2544 | GUARD Act | Related bill | Feb 9, 2026 |
Titles 8
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To permit State, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies that receive eligible Federal grant funds to use such funds for investigating elder financial fraud, pig butchering, and general financial fraud, and to clarify that Federal law enforcement agencies may assist State, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies in the use of tracing tools for blockchain and related technology, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- GUARD Act
- Guarding Unprotected Aging Retirees from Deception Act
- Short Title(s) as Passed House
- GUARD Act
- Guarding Unprotected Aging Retirees from Deception Act
- Short Title(s) from PCS (Placed on Senate Calendar) bill text
- Guarding Unprotected Aging Retirees from Deception Act of 2026
- GUARD Act of 2026
- Official Title from EH (Engrossed in House) bill text
- To permit State, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies that receive eligible Federal grant funds to use such funds for investigating elder financial fraud, pig butchering, and general financial fraud, and to clarify that Federal law enforcement agencies may assist State, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies in the use of tracing tools for blockchain and related technology, and for other purposes.
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement.
- Advanced technology and technological innovations
- Congressional oversight
- Crime and Law Enforcement
- Crime victims
- Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
- Employee hiring
- Employment and training programs
- Fraud offenses and financial crimes
- Government information and archives
- Intergovernmental relations
- Law enforcement administration and funding
Text 3
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Sep 16, 2026Placed on Calendar Senate
- Sep 15, 2026Engrossed in House
- Apr 21, 2025Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
