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Summary Provided by Congressional Research Service
Monitor Accountability Act
This bill requires the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts to establish conditions on the appointment of monitors to oversee state and local governmental entities. A monitor is an independent official appointed to oversee corrective reforms as part of a civil settlement agreement or consent decree, such as to remedy a pattern or practice of unconstitutional policing.
Among the conditions, this bill requires notice and an opportunity for public comment prior to the appointment of a monitor, limits an individual to one monitor appointment at a time, sets a five-year term limit for monitors, and requires a public accounting of the fees charged and services provided by the monitor. It also caps fees and explicitly authorizes the use of pro bono services.
In 2021, the Department of Justice began implementing a set of principles and specific recommendations regarding the use of monitors in civil settlement agreements and consent decrees involving state and local governmental entities, including recommendations relating to term limits, capping fees, and public accountability.
Latest available text
1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the "Monitor Accountability Act".
2. Conditions on the appointment of monitors by courts
(a) In general - Not later than 180 days after the effective date of this section, the Judicial Conference of the United States shall by rule establish conditions on the appointment by a district court of the United States of any person charged, pursuant to a court order, with monitoring the conduct of a State or unit of local government. Such conditions shall include the following:
(1) Fees - Such person—
(A) may not assess a fee in excess of such maximum rates as the Judicial Conference of the United States may establish; and
(B) shall be authorized to employ the use of pro bono time or reduced rates.
(2) Exclusivity and term - Such person may not be—
(A) appointed to more than one such monitorship at a time;
(B) appointed for a term greater than 5 years; or
(C) reappointed after the expiration of such term pursuant to the same court order.
(3) Subsequent monitors - A monitor who is appointed to a monitorship after the expiration of the term of a monitor who served pursuant to the same court order may not be employed by the same employer as the previous monitor.
(4) Public comment - Prior to the appointment of a monitor, the court shall provide notice of the person to be appointed and afford the public an opportunity for comment thereon.
(5) Termination -
(A) Revision - In the case that a court, a party, or a monitor seeks to revise a monitorship imposed by a court order, the court shall conduct a hearing.
(B) Scope of monitorship - The court may only revise a requirement of a monitorship with respect to which the subject of the monitorship has not attained substantial and sustained compliance.
(b) Transfer - On the date that is 6 years after the court order imposing a monitorship, if such monitorship is in effect on such date, the case shall be transferred to another judge in the district in which the case is pending.
(c) Accounting -
(1) In general - On an annual basis, a monitor shall submit to the court imposing the monitorship an accounting, which shall include—
(A) information on the services provided and the fee charged for such services; and
(B) whether any such services were provided pro bono or at a reduced rate.
(2) Publication - The court shall make available to the public any accounting submitted to the court under paragraph (1).
(d) Retroactivity - In the case of a monitorship that is in effect on the date of enactment of this Act and has been in effect for 6 years—
(1) a new monitor shall be appointed not later than 180 days after such date of enactment in accordance with the limitations under this section; and
(2) the case shall be transferred not later than 1 year after such date of enactment in accordance with this section.
(e) Sense of Congress - It is the sense of Congress that monitoring is a public service and monitorships should be structured to encourage the use of pro bono time or reduced rates.
Passed the House of Representatives May 14, 2026.Kevin F. McCumber,Clerk.