HR 2978 · 119th Congress 2025–2027

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.

  1. IntroducedApr 21, 2025
  2. Passed HouseSep 15, 2026
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. 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 callQuestionResultDate
House 301Passed414–7Sep 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.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
D-NJJosh GottheimerOriginalApr 21, 2025
R-WIScott FitzgeraldOriginalApr 21, 2025
R-TXTroy E. NehlsAug 1, 2025
R-INJefferson ShreveSep 15, 2025
R-ALBarry MooreSep 26, 2025
R-PADaniel MeuserSep 26, 2025
R-TXRoger WilliamsSep 26, 2025
D-DESarah McBrideSep 26, 2025
D-NYLaura GillenOct 14, 2025
D-CAJosh HarderOct 24, 2025
D-ILEric SorensenNov 17, 2025
D-CAJulia BrownleyNov 17, 2025
R-KYAndy BarrNov 18, 2025
R-WIGlenn GrothmanNov 19, 2025
D-NYJohn W. MannionDec 9, 2025
R-FLMaria Elvira SalazarDec 9, 2025
D-CAGeorge WhitesidesDec 17, 2025
D-NYThomas R. SuozziDec 17, 2025
D-CADerek TranDec 18, 2025
D-NMGabe VasquezDec 18, 2025
R-CADavid G. ValadaoFeb 10, 2026
R-VARobert J. WittmanFeb 10, 2026
D-NJJefferson Van DrewFeb 20, 2026
D-CTJahana HayesFeb 23, 2026
D-NVSusie LeeFeb 23, 2026
R-NCTim MooreFeb 23, 2026
R-MTTroy DowningFeb 23, 2026
R-INMarlin A. StutzmanFeb 24, 2026
R-WIThomas P. TiffanyFeb 24, 2026
R-NYMichael LawlerMar 18, 2026
D-WAAdam SmithApr 14, 2026
R-VAJennifer A. KiggansApr 15, 2026
R-KSTracey MannApr 21, 2026
D-MNAngie CraigApr 22, 2026
D-TXJulie JohnsonApr 22, 2026
R-TXMonica De La CruzApr 23, 2026
D-VASuhas SubramanyamApr 23, 2026
R-IAAshley HinsonMay 11, 2026
R-NDJulie FedorchakMay 12, 2026
D-ILSean CastenMay 12, 2026
D-NYGeorge LatimerMay 13, 2026
R-CAKen CalvertMay 14, 2026
R-CAYoung KimMay 14, 2026
R-TXAugust PflugerMay 19, 2026
D-NYTimothy M. KennedyMay 19, 2026
R-KSDerek SchmidtJun 2, 2026
D-MDGlenn IveyJun 2, 2026
R-COGabe EvansJun 3, 2026
R-ALGary J. PalmerJun 3, 2026
D-RIGabe AmoJun 4, 2026
R-UTBurgess OwensJun 10, 2026
R-KYBrett GuthrieSep 3, 2026
D-CADave MinSep 3, 2026
D-NHMaggie GoodlanderSep 14, 2026

Committees 2

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

ChamberCommitteeWhat it did
HouseJudiciary Committee
Referred Apr 21, 2025
HouseFinancial Services Committee
Referred Apr 21, 2025Markup May 13, 2026Reported Jun 24, 2026

Actions 13

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Sep 16, 2026Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 627.
  2. Sep 15, 2026Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H5822)
  3. 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)
  4. Sep 15, 2026Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  5. Sep 14, 2026Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H5602-5605)

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.

WhereIn the RecordMembersDate
HouseRecorded votes H5822enact—Sep 15, 2026
HouseDebate and remarks H5602–H5605Text printed H5602Brad Sherman D-CA, Daniel Meuser R-PA, Monica De La Cruz R-TX, Zachary Nunn R-IASep 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

  1. Jun 18, 2026H.R. 2978, GUARD Act of 2026As ordered reported by the House Committee on Financial Services on May 13, 2026

Constitutional authority

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Article 1, Section 8 of the United States Constitution To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

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.

NumberHearingCommitteeHeld
S. Hrg. 119-150PROTECTING FLORIDA'S SENIORS: FIGHTING FRAUD AND FINANCIAL EXPLOITATION49 pagesAging (Special) CommitteeAug 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.

ProductTitleKindPublished
R49432Online Scam Centers in Southeast Asia: Background and U.S. ResponsesReportSep 30, 2026

Related bills 1

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

BillTitleRelationshipLatest action
S 2544GUARD ActRelated billFeb 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.

Text 3

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Sep 16, 2026Placed on Calendar Senate
  2. Sep 15, 2026Engrossed in House
  3. Apr 21, 2025Introduced in House

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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.