House bill proposes mandatory harassment reporting programs for major transit agencies

A new measure introduced by Rep. Dave Min in the U.S. House would boost efforts to collect and report data on passenger harassment within public transit agencies, as documented by the U.S. Congress.

H.R.8699 entered the legislative process on May 7, 2026 during the 119th Congress’s regular session. This overview is based on the official bill text alongside clarifying interpretations where appropriate.

The proposed legislation seeks to alter title 49 of the United States Code by requiring that any public transit authority receiving federal funds put in place formal programs to gather data on incidents of passenger harassment. Urban transit providers in cities with 200,000 or more residents would be required to create reporting systems where passengers can log accusations of street harassment, whether verbal, physical, or sexual in nature. Agencies would set up accessible tools for filing reports, systematically collect information on the nature of reported incidents and demographics of those involved, publish results in a timely manner while protecting personal privacy, and provide outreach in multiple languages to serve riders who speak limited English. Street harassment is specifically defined within the bill, which also mandates that these event data points be integrated into the National Transit Database. The intent is to support a fuller understanding and improved safety across public transit systems if the language is enacted.

The sponsors include Rep. Dave Min (Democrat-CA-47th District), along with co-sponsor Rep. Henry C. “Hank” Johnson (Democrat-CA-4th District) and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (Democrat-CA).

Rep. Min has sponsored 21 other House bills since this session began.

Congressional bills can originate in either chamber of Congress except for revenue bills, which start in the House of Representatives. Once proposed, bills are sent to committees for detailed examination, possible revisions, hearings, and then floor debate and voting. Legislation that earns matching approval from both the House and Senate is sent to the president to be signed or vetoed. Congress works on a two-year cycle, with sessions held annually during each term. The procedures for legislation and the official tracking of bills are managed by the U.S. Congress and published on Congress.gov.

Dave Min serves as a U.S. House Representative from California, representing the Democratic Party in the One Hundred Nineteenth Congress. His background includes tenure as a California state senator from 2020 through 2024 and service as a staff attorney at the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as staff roles for U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer and with the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Development.

Min earned both a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Pennsylvania in 1999, and holds a Juris Doctor from Harvard University, conferred in 2002. He was part of the University of California-Irvine, School of Law faculty from 2012 to 2020.

Details in this article are based on information provided by the U.S. Congress. Original source data is available here.