Bill > HR9694

This bill, titled the Epstein Files Transparency Act II, amends the original Epstein Files Transparency Act to grant state attorneys general and victims new enforcement powers regarding records related to the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell criminal network. Specifically, it allows state attorneys general, district attorneys, or other authorized state officials to sue the U.S. Attorney General in federal court if records are unlawfully withheld, redacted, delayed, or not properly justified, seeking various forms of relief including monetary damages and attorney fees. The bill also clarifies that victims can sue the U.S. Attorney General for access to their own unredacted records, with provisions to protect the privacy of other victims, and establishes that state law enforcement access to these records is governed solely by this Act, not by other federal regulations like the Touhy Regulations. Furthermore, it expands access for victims and state officials to unredacted and classified materials, allows for their use in legal proceedings under certain protections, and grants members of Congress direct access to these records with a mechanism to challenge any non-compliance by the Attorney General, while also imposing penalties for the intentional concealment, destruction, or falsification of these records.