PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Congressional Research Service
No official summary is available in the imported record yet.
People & committees
Rep. Fulcher, Russ [R-ID-1] · R–ID
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Sep 11, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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Analyze H.R.10263 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-09-03 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed Halt Abusive Internet Lawsuits Act of 2026 would block claims and enforcement actions under specified communications-monitoring laws for collecting, processing, or disclosing information for commercial purposes. This would affect businesses handling that information and people or agencies seeking to challenge those practices under those laws. Covered cases already underway would have to stop upon enactment.
This Act may be cited as the Halt Abusive Internet Lawsuits Act of 2026.
The collection, processing, or disclosure of information or communications for a commercial purpose shall give rise to no claim or enforcement action under Federal or State law with respect to pen registers, wiretapping, trap and trace, or eavesdropping, including chapter 1.5 of the Penal Code of California (commonly known as the California Invasion of Privacy Act).
Any such claim or enforcement action in progress as of the date of the enactment of this Act may not be maintained, adjudicated, or arbitrated after such date.
Section 2 would bar both claims and enforcement actions under federal or state laws concerning pen registers, wiretapping, trap and trace, or eavesdropping when they concern collecting, processing, or disclosing information or communications for a commercial purpose. It expressly includes California's Invasion of Privacy Act; the text does not establish a bar under every privacy law.
The collection, processing, or disclosure of information or communications for a commercial purpose shall give rise to no claim or enforcement action under Federal or State law with respect to pen registers, wiretapping, trap and trace, or eavesdropping, including chapter 1.5 of the Penal Code of California (commonly known as the California Invasion of Privacy Act).
Covered claims and enforcement actions already in progress on the enactment date could no longer continue, be decided, or proceed through arbitration after that date. Arbitration is a process for resolving disputes outside court. This provision uses enactment as its cutoff, rather than a specified calendar date.
Any such claim or enforcement action in progress as of the date of the enactment of this Act may not be maintained, adjudicated, or arbitrated after such date.
The definition of commercial purpose would include using digital commerce for business operations, including a business's service providers and contractors; marketing or advertising; requesting or handling consumer input; and facilitating purchases or sales of goods or services. The definition says these purposes are included, rather than presenting them as an exhaustive list.
The term commercial purpose includes the use of digital commerce for— (A) the operations of a business or a service provider or contractor to a business; (B) marketing or advertising; (C) prompting, receiving, or responding to consumer input; (D) facilitating the sale or purchase of goods or services;
Commercial purpose would also include using digital commerce for any commercial or business purpose defined by a state's law or regulation, where the collection, processing, or disclosure occurs in that state.
The term commercial purpose includes the use of digital commerce for—
(E) any commercial or business purpose as defined under law or regulation of a State in which the collection, processing, or disclosure of information occurs.
Digital commerce would mean promoting, selling, buying, delivering, or supporting products or services through connected digital networks and tools. The definition expressly includes cookies, pixels, session replay, chatbots, tags, and analytics, so it reaches activities beyond completing an online purchase.
The term digital commerce means the promotion, sale, purchase, delivery, or support of products or services through connected digital networks and tools, including through the use of cookies, pixels, session replay, chatbots, tags, and analytics.
The official-actions snapshot updated September 11, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on the Judiciary on September 3, 2026. These are the legislative actions shown in that dated snapshot.
Source snapshot updated 2026-09-11T19:08:23Z. 2026-09-03: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. 2026-09-03: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-09-03. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy change attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not extend to other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not establish the absence of earmarks in other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow carve-out or special preference was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. Its broad commercial-purpose coverage is the main policy, rather than a separate narrow beneficiary exception. This conclusion is limited to this version.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Sep 11, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI