Federal victim protection orders have long run on the same clock as probation: when supervision ends, the order lapses, and nothing in the statute bars an offender from petitioning to dissolve any remaining restrictions. The Kayleigh's Law Act of 2026 addresses that gap directly. The House passed H.R. 8481 by unanimous vote Monday, sending the bill to the Senate with no dissent on record.
The legislation, introduced by Rep. Abe Hamadeh, R-Ariz., requires courts to issue lifetime no-contact injunctions against offenders convicted of federal sex crimes and violent felonies. The restriction holds after prison ends, after probation terminates, and after supervised release expires. The offender cannot contact the victim, directly or indirectly, for the remainder of the offender's life.
The case that named the bill
The bill takes its name from Kayleigh Kozak, an Arizona mother of five who was sexually abused at age 12 by Joshua Jacobsen, a former teacher and soccer coach who pleaded guilty to sexual abuse and luring a minor for sexual exploitation. Jacobsen was sentenced to six months in jail and lifetime probation.
Nearly two decades after the conviction, Jacobsen petitioned a Maricopa County judge to terminate that probation, arguing his conduct over the preceding 18 years showed he had reformed. Kozak returned to court to oppose the request. Hamadeh said she was pulled back before a judge 13 years after the abuse, then forced back again the following year when Jacobsen made a second petition. A Maricopa County judge denied it in June, citing probation violations that included unauthorized contact with children and breaches of chaperone restrictions. Jacobsen remains on lifetime probation under Maricopa County Adult Probation supervision.
Hamadeh, a former prosecutor and Army veteran, told Fox News Digital that Kozak's experience exposed a structural failure in how federal law handles post-conviction protections. "Justice is not complete if the victim still lives in fear," he said.
Where the bill sits now
The legislation moves to the Senate, where Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, is leading the effort to advance it. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., helped move the measure through the House Judiciary Committee. Hamadeh said he wants the bill on President Donald Trump's desk before November.
State precedent already exists. Arizona and Wisconsin have each enacted versions of Kayleigh's Law. In Arizona, according to Hamadeh's office, more than 1,000 survivors secured lifetime protection during the state law's first year.
Kozak and her children were present at the Capitol for the House vote. The unanimous margin eliminates the "legal tug-of-war," as Hamadeh's office described the current system, that has repeatedly required survivors to appear in court to preserve protections they believed were settled at sentencing.