The House of Representatives has unanimously passed Kayleigh's Law, a bill requiring federal courts to issue lifetime no-contact orders for individuals convicted of federal sex crimes and violent felonies. The legislation, H.R. 8481, now moves to the Senate for consideration.
Introduced by Rep. Abe Hamadeh, R-Ariz., the bill, officially named the Kayleigh’s Law Act of 2026, seeks to protect survivors of abuse by ensuring convicted offenders cannot contact them directly or indirectly for the remainder of the offender's life. This protection would extend beyond the end of prison sentences, probation, or supervised release.
"This is a common-sense type of bill where we’re supporting victims, and we’re prioritizing victims over criminals," Hamadeh stated on X following the vote. He further emphasized the bill's intent: "When a predator is convicted, the court issues a lifetime no-contact order. Not until probation ends. Not until some judge decides he’s ‘moved on.’ For life."
The legislation is named after Kayleigh Kozak, an Arizona resident who was sexually abused as a child. Kozak was compelled to return to court 13 years after her abuse when her abuser, Joshua Jacobsen, sought to have a no-contact protection order lifted. She was forced to confront him again the following year when he made another attempt.
"Can you imagine that you have to sit across the room from this man?" Hamadeh remarked. "That’s something a victim should never have to do."
Jacobsen, a former teacher and soccer coach, pleaded guilty to sexual abuse and luring a minor for sexual exploitation. He was sentenced to six months in jail and lifetime probation. According to reports, Jacobsen's request to end his probation was denied in June 2026 by a Maricopa County judge, who cited probation violations, including unauthorized contact with children and breaches of chaperone restrictions.
Kozak expressed her relief and hope following the House vote, stating on X that the country was "one step closer" to providing permanent protection for victims. "No victim should ever have to endure the hell I had to walk through," she wrote. "When I discovered protection wasn’t permanent, I knew it had to change."
Similar state laws have been enacted in Arizona and Wisconsin. Hamadeh's office noted that over 1,000 Arizona survivors received lifetime protection within the first year of the state law's implementation. The bill aims to end the "legal tug-of-war" that forces survivors to repeatedly face their attackers in court to maintain basic protections.
"Victims should never again have to fill out another form, sit across from their abuser, or look over their shoulder because the sentence ran out, and the system shrugged," Hamadeh said in a statement.
Hamadeh's commitment to the bill became personal when he met Kozak while campaigning for Arizona attorney general and later promised her, as he ran for Congress, that her cause would be a priority. Kozak and her family were present at the Capitol for the House vote.
Hamadeh, a former prosecutor and Army veteran, highlighted that the proposed restrictions would apply only after a conviction, respecting defendants' due process rights beforehand. "This is not about the due process beforehand. They ultimately have to be found guilty of a crime," he stated.
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, is leading the Senate effort to advance the bill, with Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., having assisted in its passage through the House Judiciary Committee. Hamadeh urged the public to contact their senators to support the bill's swift passage.
"It passed unanimously in the House. It should pass unanimously in the Senate," Hamadeh asserted. "We should fix this once and for all and be able to save victims so much of this trauma and this terror."
He expressed hope that the bill would reach President Trump's desk before November.