Rep. Laurel Lee’s Safe Cloud Storage Act Passes the House

September 16, 2026 Press Release WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Congresswoman Laurel Lee’s bipartisan Safe Cloud Storage Act, legislation to modernize how law enforcement securely stores and processes digital evidence in child sexual exploitation investigations. Rep. Lee introduced the House legislation alongside bipartisan co-leads Representatives Steve Cohen (D-TN), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), and Brad Knott (R-NC). Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) led the Senate legislation, which passed the Senate in May. The legislation addresses a growing challenge facing law enforcement as the volume of digital evidence in child sexual exploitation investigations continues to increase. Many agencies still rely on physical storage systems such as thumb drives, external hard drives, and local servers to manage highly sensitive evidence. The Safe Cloud Storage Act removes a legal barrier that has limited law enforcement’s ability to work with trusted cloud service providers while maintaining strict security and accountability requirements. “Every minute matters when law enforcement is working to identify a child being exploited and bring the predator responsible to justice,” said Rep. Laurel Lee. “Our investigators should have access to modern, secure technology that helps them do that work as quickly and effectively as possible. The Safe Cloud Storage Act removes an unnecessary legal barrier that has prevented law enforcement from fully utilizing trusted cloud technology while maintaining strong safeguards for this incredibly sensitive evidence. I am proud that this bipartisan legislation has now passed both chambers of Congress, and I look forward to seeing it signed into law.” “We must do everything in our power to protect children from abuse and prosecute those who commit such despicable crimes — that requires modernizing how law enforcement stores sensitive information so that they can bring more abusers to justice,” Rep. Dean said . “Many police departments still rely on older technology like thumb drives to store materials for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) investigations, which slows down investigations and lets criminals stay one or two steps ahead. Our bipartisan bill is a commonsense measure enabling law enforcement to use secure cloud-based storage, helping them to track, stop, and prosecute more of these heinous crimes. I am thrilled that the Safe Cloud Storage Act will become law, and I’m grateful to my colleagues in the House and Senate for their efforts in its passage.” “I'm proud to work with Congresswoman Lee on this critical legislation, and I'm pleased to see it pass the House today with strong, bipartisan support,” said Congressman Brad Knott . “ As a former federal prosecutor who worked investigations and in courtrooms, I know how essential it is to modernize evidence handling and production in these cases. This bill will help ensure that heinously criminal offenders are brought to justice more efficiently, that victims see accountability, and that strict standards govern the storage and use of this evidence. I look forward to seeing it move through the Senate.” The Safe Cloud Storage Act provides limited civil and criminal liability protections to approved cloud service providers contracted by federal, state, and local law enforcement or prosecutorial agencies to securely store and process digital evidence related to child sexual exploitation investigations. The legislation requires covered providers to comply with cybersecurity requirements and establishes exceptions to its liability protections for certain misconduct. The legislation builds on the framework established by the bipartisan REPORT Act, which was signed into law in 2024 and provided limited liability protections for vendors contracted by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) to store and transfer child sexual abuse material for investigative purposes. The Safe Cloud Storage Act is supported by law enforcement, child protection, and victim advocacy organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the Fraternal Order of Police, Thorn, Raven, the Child Rescue Coalition, the National District Attorneys Association, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, the Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies, and International Justice Mission. Key Provisions of the Safe Cloud Storage Act: Modernizes Evidence Storage: Enables law enforcement-approved cloud service providers to securely store and process digital evidence used in child sexual exploitation investigations. Provides Limited Liability Protections: Protects approved vendors from certain civil and criminal liability when handling qualifying evidence on behalf of law enforcement. Maintains Accountability: Preserves liability in circumstances excluded by the legislation and ensures protections are limited to qualifying vendors acting within the scope of their work with law enforcement. Strengthens Cybersecurity: Requires approved vendors to comply with stringent cybersecurity requirements to protect highly sensitive evidence. By allowing investigators to securely use modern cloud-based technology, the Safe Cloud Storage Act will help law enforcement more efficiently manage growing volumes of digital evidence and support investigations aimed at identifying victims and holding offenders accountable.