H.R. 7491 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the House, sent to the Committee on the Judiciary, Feb 11, 2026
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryProtects lawyer-client email from government monitoring
This bill prevents the Department of Justice from reading or monitoring electronic communications—like emails—between people in prison and their lawyers. The protection applies specifically to privileged communications, meaning messages that are meant to be private and protected by attorney-client privilege.
How it affects you
If you're incarcerated, this means your emails and electronic messages to your lawyer would have the same privacy protection that phone calls and in-person visits with your attorney already have. It ensures you can communicate freely with your legal representative without worrying that the government is reading those messages.
Read the official summary (Introduced in House, Feb 11, 2026)
Effective Assistance of Counsel in the Digital Era Act
This bill prohibits the Department of Justice from monitoring the contents of a privileged electronic communication between an incarcerated person and his or her legal representative.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
2nd SessionH. R. 7491
A BILL
Effective Assistance of Counsel in the Digital Era Act
Sponsor: Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA-4) · Introduced Feb 11, 2026 · Crime and Law Enforcement · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Feb 11, 2026: “Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.”