Hawkeye Reporter

The Senate Judiciary Committee has unanimously advanced three bipartisan bills aimed at supporting law enforcement and improving public safety. The measures focus on drug abuse, child care worker background checks, and efforts to locate missing persons.

The Opioid Overdose Data Collection Enhancement Act, sponsored by Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), is designed to help local law enforcement identify and address drug abuse trends. Another bill, the CHILD Act of 2025, led by Grassley and Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), would require that all child care workers are eligible for nationwide background checks. The TRACE Act, introduced by Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), seeks to improve the ability to find missing persons on public land.

“The three bills advanced out of the Judiciary Committee today will help equip local law enforcement with the resources needed to safeguard their communities. I was glad colleagues on both sides of the aisle worked together to advance these bills out of our committee, and I look forward to moving these bills on the Senate floor,” Grassley said.

In addition to legislative action, the committee voted to advance seven U.S. attorney nominations. The nominees include Kurt Alme for Montana, Nicholas Chase for North Dakota, Lesley Murphy for Nebraska, Jeanine Pirro for the District of Columbia, Daniel Rosen for Minnesota, Erik Siebert for Eastern Virginia, and Kurt Wall for Middle Louisiana.