Bipartisan House amendment would restrict ALPR use to tolling for highway-funding recipients

Event: May 21, 2026 · First reported: May 28, 2026 · 1 source

An amendment introduced May 21 during a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee markup of a five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill would bar recipients of federal highway funding from using automated license plate readers for any purpose other than tolling. The one-line measure, sponsored by Reps. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) and Jesús "Chuy" García (D-Ill.), has not been enacted, and its fate in the committee process is unresolved. WIRED reported that, if adopted, agencies in jurisdictions receiving Title 23 funds would effectively have to remove ALPR systems or restrict them to toll collection. The proposal surfaced as the FBI, according to 404 Media, pursues a contract worth up to $36 million for access to nationwide ALPR data.

Why this matters

Because many state and local agencies receive federal highway funds, a funding condition of this kind would set a national baseline for ALPR use rather than leaving the question to individual councils and legislatures. It also highlights a divergence between proposals to narrow local camera networks and federal efforts to broaden access to vehicle-location data.

Key facts

Amendment introduced May 21, 2026 by Reps. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) and Jesús "Chuy" García (D-Ill.); it would limit ALPR use by federal highway funding recipients to tolling only.
The FBI's statement of work, published May 14, seeks searchable ALPR capabilities including near real-time searches, persistent tracking, geofencing and hot-list alerts across the U.S. and its territories, via a multi-award "storefront of approved LPR tools."
404 Media reported the FBI contract could be worth up to $36 million.
Flock Safety, responding to WIRED, cited an Austin, Texas shooting spree in which police officials said ALPR data helped identify suspects.
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said last year that an audit found Flock violated state law by giving U.S. Customs and Border Protection access to Illinois ALPR data; Flock subsequently said it would pause federal pilot programs nationwide, according to WIRED.

Sources

This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.

Bill amendment would limit police use of LPRs nationwide (Police1, May 28, 2026)

About this record

BlockFlockNow documents reported incidents involving Flock Safety cameras and automated license plate readers: council votes, contract decisions, misuse by authorized users, lawsuits, audits, and community response. Every record is reviewed by a person before publication. New to the topic? Start with What is Flock?, find meetings near you, or learn how to request your town's camera records.

Updated August 10, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.