U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie filed a bill to ban federal funding for license plate cameras like the 20 Flock devices in Boone County. The Crescent Springs Republican introduced H.R. 10221 on Sept. 2.
Massie calls it the Flock-Off Act. The bill would prohibit federal funds from being used to buy, install, maintain, operate or upgrade automated license plate readers and biometric surveillance cameras.
"It doesn't ban Flock cameras, but it says that the federal government is not going to pay for your Flock cameras if you want them," Massie told Spectrum News 1 on Sept. 3. "I think they're an invasion of privacy, and they go beyond the balance between security and privacy."
The bill defines biometric data broadly, covering facial recognition, voiceprints, iris and retinal scans, fingerprints and gait recognition. It would also block federal dollars from paying for contracts, subscriptions, cloud services and data-sharing arrangements tied to the camera systems.
Agencies that violate the ban would have to repay the funds to the U.S. Treasury. State and local recipients would have 180 days to stop operating federally funded systems or lose access to the relevant grant program.
Two exceptions survive: cameras within one mile of the U.S. border used for detecting illegal entry, human trafficking and drug smuggling, and plate readers used solely for toll collection.
Bipartisan support, local backdrop
Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., is co-leading the bill. Five other original cosponsors signed on, including Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif.
Massie signaled the bill in July, telling the Cincinnati Enquirer on July 27 that the federal government should not subsidize cities that have turned their communities into "a version of 1984."
The bill lands as Flock cameras face growing resistance across Northern Kentucky. Newport, Independence, Fort Mitchell, Erlanger, Fort Thomas and Edgewood all ended their Flock programs over the summer, WLWT reported. Across the region, 103 Flock devices were approved for use in Northern Kentucky as of August, according to LINK nky.
The Boone County Sheriff's Office, which approved its 20 cameras in June, declined an interview request from WCPO but said it plans to hold public discussions on the technology.
Not everyone agrees
Not all Kentucky officials back the push. State Sen. Danny Carroll, R-Paducah, defended the cameras at a judiciary committee meeting in Frankfort on Sept. 3, saying lawmakers should focus on preventing misuse of the technology rather than condemning it outright, according to Spectrum News 1.
A Flock Safety spokesperson said the company's technology is used by more than 5,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide and supported more than one million investigations in 2025, according to Spectrum News 1 and WLWT.
Massie is serving his final term after losing the Republican primary to Ed Gallrein in May.
No committee hearing date has been scheduled for the Flock-Off Act.
