Stop Warrantless Tracking—Prohibit Mass License Plate Readers in H.R. 8870

As your constituent, I urge you to introduce a floor amendment to the BUILD America 250 Act (H.R. 8870) prohibiting the use of Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPR) except for tolling purposes—reviving the Perry–García Amendment killed in committee. ALPR technology enables mass collection and indefinite storage of location data on millions of Americans without warrant or oversight. This creates a de facto warrantless tracking system threatening our fundamental privacy rights. The harms are undeniable. New York University's Brennan Center for Justice shows how ALPR feeds integrate into police data-fusion systems combining plate data with surveillance and social media monitoring. The Electronic Frontier Foundation documented widespread misuse: targeting mosques, disproportionately deploying in low-income neighborhoods. A Texas sheriff's deputy tracking a woman because she "had an abortion." In Charlotte, a police officer illegally tracked a license plate using Flock cameras elsewhere in North Carolina to reveal an undercover police officer. In Greer, South Carolina, two officers misused local cameras. According to reporting in the Washington Post, at least 50 law enforcement officers have been charged with using these cameras as a tool for stalking. Data is retained indefinitely and shared widely among agencies and private parties, creating risks of abuse and unauthorized access. Individuals can be tracked to medical facilities, religious institutions, and political events based solely on travel patterns—with no suspicion of wrongdoing required. First responders' efficiency concerns are understandable, but the constitutional right to privacy must prevail over generalized surveillance. Mass surveillance chills free speech and assembly. Research shows general roadway camera coverage doesn't significantly reduce crime. The DOJ's own 40-year study in Criminology and Public Policy found cameras most effective in parking lots, not highway systems and roadways. This is bipartisan. Lawmakers across the spectrum recognize security shouldn't sacrifice constitutional rights. Demand Progress and civil rights organizations called the Perry–García Amendment "commonsense." Federal funds should not support mass surveillance systems. Period. But they are especially abhorrent when lacking safeguards and accountability. When H.R. 8870 reaches the House floor, I urge you to resist corporate lobbying and introduce this amendment. Protecting privacy, limiting government overreach, and upholding civil liberties transcend party lines and deserve your leadership. Thank you for your consideration.