Lawmakers in the US Congress have introduced a new bipartisan bill aimed at curbing the widespread and unchecked deployment of automated license plate reader cameras. Titled the No FLOCK Act—short for Federal License-Plate Observation and Camera Keeping—the legislation seeks to compel states to restrict the use of surveillance technology manufactured by Atlanta-based Flock Safety and its competitors. To enforce compliance, the proposed law uses the leverage of federal infrastructure grants to penalize states that fail to limit these surveillance systems.
Threat of 10 Percent Highway Funding Withholding
Under the provisions of the No FLOCK Act, the US Secretary of Transportation would be directed to withhold 10 percent of annual federal financial support designated for state highways, roads, and bridges if a state does not restrict license plate cameras. Should the legislation pass during the current legislative session, non-compliant states would begin losing out on tens to hundreds of millions of dollars in surface transportation funding starting in October 2028. The Department of Transportation calculates state infrastructure allocations based on factors such as total roadway mileage and traffic volume. Congress has historically used the withholding of federal transportation grants as a successful mechanism to push states into adopting key public safety measures, such as raising the national minimum drinking age and standardizing blood alcohol limits for driving under the influence.
Strictly Restricted to Five Specific Use Cases
The legislation explicitly narrows the permissible scope of automated license plate readers to five distinct scenarios. These include enforcing toll collection systems, tracking stolen vehicles, locating missing or endangered individuals, identifying vehicles registered to persons with felony warrants, and investigating vehicles directly linked to felony offenses. Conversely, the bill bans state and local agencies from using the technology for general traffic pattern studies, low-level drug investigations, parking enforcement, or automated speeding tickets. Democratic Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois and Republican Representative Michael Cloud of Texas are jointly sponsoring the bipartisan initiative.
Civil Liberties Concerns and Abuse Allegations
The legislative push comes amid growing scrutiny over how police departments handle surveillance data. Investigations have uncovered at least 100 documented instances of alleged abuse over the past eight years, where law enforcement personnel used Flock camera databases for personal reasons, including tracking former romantic partners. Republican Representative Michael Cloud stated that taxpayers should not be forced to fund the shredding of their own civil liberties or the expansion of a surveillance state. Democratic Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi noted that the bipartisan measure establishes necessary boundaries to prevent misuse while preserving core public safety capabilities.
Political Dynamics and Corporate Lobbying Efforts
Despite imposing strict limits, the bill stops short of a complete nationwide ban on Flock systems, which remains the primary objective for many digital rights advocates and protest movements. Furthermore, the measure does not prohibit state agencies from sharing license plate tracking records with external bodies, including federal immigration authorities. With upcoming US midterm elections approaching, surveillance oversight has surfaced as a prominent voter concern. While President Donald Trump recently expressed broad support for license plate readers as effective crime prevention tools, Congress is pushing for stronger federal guardrails. In response to mounting legislative scrutiny, Flock Safety has maintained steady lobbying expenditures in Washington, DC, recently retaining a fifth firm to represent its interests.
