What specific federal transparency bills were introduced after Epstein's death in 2019?

1. The statute that became law — H.R. 4405, the Epstein Files Transparency Act

The centerpiece federal transparency measure was H.R. 4405, formally titled the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which required the Department of Justice to publish in a searchable, downloadable format the DOJ’s unclassified records, documents, communications and investigative materials relating to the investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein and related subjects, and which was signed into law by the president on November 19, 2025 ^{[1] [2] [4]}.

2. What H.R. 4405 actually demands and allows the DOJ to withhold

The statute mandated release within a tight timeframe (30 days in the legislation’s text widely reported) of all unclassified DOJ materials relating to Epstein, including materials connected to Ghislaine Maxwell, flight logs and travel records, and named or referenced individuals, while permitting the DOJ to withhold information such as victim personal data and materials that could jeopardize active investigations, per the bill summaries and administration guidance tied to implementation ^{[1] [5] [6]}.

3. Companion congressional actions: H. Res. 577 and committee pushes

Alongside the statutory push, House members introduced a resolution—H. Res. 577—demanding the immediate release of all federal documents relating to Epstein; that non-binding resolution articulated congressional frustration with past DOJ non-disclosure and served as political pressure ahead of the statutory effort ^[3].

4. Sponsors, procedural maneuvers and bipartisan dynamics

The legislative effort saw cross‑aisle and procedural dynamics: H.R. 4405 circulated with high-profile sponsorship and versions circulated in both chambers (including materials posted by Senator Jeff Merkley’s office), and congressional maneuvering—such as Representative Thomas Massie’s discharge petition and public forecasts of substantial Republican defections—helped force floor consideration after protracted delay and executive resistance ^{[7] [8] [9]}.

5. Timing, implementation and the DOJ’s release process

When the law set a statutory deadline in December 2025, the DOJ began publishing substantial batches of material but publicly acknowledged it would not be able to release every document immediately, instead rolling out “several hundred thousand pages” initially and continuing disclosures while redacting victim-identifying information as required by the statute and agency determinations ^{[6] [10] [11]}.

6. Political context, competing narratives and limits of transparency

The push for statutory release followed years of public anger about Epstein’s 2019 death and prior plea agreements, and the bill’s rapid, near‑unanimous congressional passage in late 2025 reflected both bipartisan appetite to show “maximum transparency” and political incentives to obtain and publicize documents tying public figures to Epstein; critics warned, however, that wholesale releases could inadvertently expose victims or ongoing probes and that releases without context risked misinterpretation—a critique voiced by lawmakers and watchdogs during floor debate ^{[9] [5] [10]}.

7. What reporting can and cannot confirm about other post‑2019 federal transparency bills

The provided reporting documents the Epstein Files Transparency Act (H.R. 4405) and the House resolution H. Res. 577 as the concrete federal actions toward disclosure after Epstein’s 2019 death, but available sources here do not comprehensively catalogue every draft or locally targeted transparency proposal that may have been introduced in state legislatures or in earlier congressional sessions; therefore, assertions about additional distinct federal bills beyond those identified would exceed what these sources confirm ^{[1] [3] [4]}.