A bill to provide for the Attorney General of the United States to develop guidelines for Federal prosecutors to protect familial privacy and communications between parents and their children in matters that do not involve allegations of violent or drug trafficking conduct and the Judicial Conference of the United States to make recommendations regarding the advisability of amending the Federal Rules of Evidence for such purpose.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
Congressional Research Service
Official summary
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Mar 6, 1998
Directs the Attorney General to: (1) evaluate the manner in which the States have taken measures to protect the confidentiality of communications between children and parents and whether such measures have been taken in matters that do not involve allegations of violent or drug trafficking conduct; (2) develop guidelines for Federal prosecutors that will provide the maximum protection possible for the confidentiality of communications between children and parents in matters that do not involve such allegations, within any applicable constitutional limits and without compromising public safety or the integrity of the judicial system; (3) disseminate such guidelines and findings to Federal prosecutors; and (4) report to the Congress on such findings and guidelines and recommendations based on the findings on the need for and appropriateness of further action by the Federal Government. Requires the Judicial Conference of the United States to complete a review and report to the Congress on: (1) whether the Federal Rules of Evidence should be amended to guarantee that the confidentiality of communications by a child to his or her parent in matters that do not involve allegations of violent or drug trafficking conduct will be adequately protected in Federal court proceedings; and (2) if so, a proposal for amendments that provide the maximum protection possible within constitutional limits and without compromising public safety or the integrity of the judicial system.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Aug 10, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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