[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7852 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7852
To require new ethics obligations and restrictions for Members of
Congress, their spouse, and dependents, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 5, 2026
Ms. Stevens (for herself, Mr. Tran, Ms. Salinas, Mr. Sorensen, Ms.
Kaptur, and Mr. Pappas) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to
the Committees on Oversight and Government Reform, the Judiciary, and
Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the
jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require new ethics obligations and restrictions for Members of
Congress, their spouse, and dependents, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``No Getting Rich in Congress Act''.
SEC. 2. RESTRICTIONS ON TRADE OF COVERED INVESTMENTS.
a
Restrictions.--Chapter 131 of title 5, United States Code, is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``SUBCHAPTER IV--RESTRICTIONS ON TRADE OF COVERED INVESTMENTS
``Sec. 13151. Definitions
``In this subchapter:
``(1) Commodity.--The term `commodity'--
``(A) has the meaning given the term in section 1a
of the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. 1a); and
``(B) does not include a precious metal (as defined
in section 1027.100 of title 31, Code of Federal
Regulations).
``(2) Covered individual.--The term `covered individual'
means any of the following:
``(A) A Member of Congress as defined in section
13101.
``(B) The President.
``(C) The Vice President.
``(D) A candidate (as defined in section 301 of the
Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C.
30101)) for nomination for election or for election to
the office of President, Vice President, or Senator or
Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner
to, Congress, beginning on the date the candidate
designates or redesignates a political committee (as
required in section 302(e) of such Act (52 U.S.C.
30102(e))), and ending on the earlier of--
``(i) the date the candidate announces the
suspension of the candidate's campaign for such
nomination or office;
``(ii) the date the candidate withdraws
from the election or concedes the election for
such nomination or office; or
``(iii) the date the oath of office for
such office is given to the candidate.
``(E) A dependent child (as that term is defined in
section 13101) or a spouse an individual described in
subparagraph (A) through (D) of this paragraph.
``(3) Covered investment.--The term `covered investment'--
``(A) means an investment in a digital asset, a
security, a commodity, a future, or any comparable
economic interest acquired through synthetic means,
such as the use of a derivative, including an option,
warrant, or other similar means; and
``(B) does not include--
``(i) a widely held investment fund that is
diversified and publicly traded on a national
or regional stock exchange;
``(ii) a United States Treasury bill, note,
or bond;
``(iii) a State or municipal government
bill, note, or bond; or
``(iv) any compensation received by the
spouse or dependent child of a covered official
from their employer.
``(4) Digital asset.--The term `digital asset' has the
meaning given the term in section 6045(g)(3)(D) of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 6045(g)(3)(D)).
``(5) Diversified.--The term `diversified', with respect to
an investment fund, means such fund does not have a stated
policy of concentrating its investments in any industry,
business, single country other than the United States, or bonds
of a single State within the United States except for the State
in which the Member of Congress resides.
``(6) Future.--The term `future' means a financial contract
obligating the buyer to purchase an asset or the seller to sell
an asset, such as a physical commodity or a financial
investment, at a predetermined future date and price.
``(7) Security.--The term `security' has the meaning given
the term in section 3(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(15 U.S.C. 78c(a)).
``(8) Supervising ethics office.--The term `supervising
ethics office' has the meaning given that term in section
13101.
``Sec. 13152. Trade of covered investments
``(a) Conduct.--Except as described in subsection (b), no covered
individual may, directly or indirectly, buy or sell a covered
investment, unless such covered investment is located in a qualified
blind trust.
``(b) Occupational Exception.--A covered individual described in
section 13151(2)(C) may buy or sell any covered investment if such
covered investment is not owned by a covered individual and if such
trade is performed as a function of the primary occupation of the
spouse or dependent child.
``(c) Disclosure.--A covered individual shall provide information
or materials on a quarterly basis to the supervising ethics office to
ensure that the covered individual is in compliance with the provisions
of this subchapter.
``Sec. 13153. Penalties
``(a) In General.--A violation of the restrictions on trading or
ownership of covered investments in section 13152 shall be handled as
follows:
``(1) With respect to a violation by any individual
described in any of subparagraphs (A) through (C) of section
13151(2), at the direction of the supervising ethics office,
payment into the Treasury in an amount equal to the sum of--
``(A) the profits of any transaction that violates
the provisions of this subchapter; and
``(B) if determined applicable and appropriate by
the supervising ethics office, an amount equal to three
times the value of the covered investment at issue.
``(2) With respect to any individual described in
subparagraph (D) or (E) of section 13151(2), the Attorney
General shall assess a civil penalty in an amount equal to the
sum of--
``(A) the profits of any transaction that violates
the provisions of this subchapter; and
``(B) if determined applicable and appropriate by
the Attorney General, an amount equal to three times
the value of the covered investment at issue.
``(b) Payment Restrictions.--A Member of Congress or candidate may
not pay any of the penalties under this section by using amounts from
the following sources:
``(1) The Members' Representational Allowance.
``(2) The Senators' Official Personnel and Office Expense
Account.
``(3) Any contribution (as defined in section 301(8) of the
Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30101(8)))
accepted as a candidate, or any other donation received as
support for activities of the individual as a holder of Federal
office.
``(c) Publication.--Each supervising ethics office shall publish on
a publicly available website a description of--
``(1) each violation of this subchapter as determined by
the supervising ethics office; and
``(2) the penalty assessed by the supervising ethics office
with respect to each violation under paragraph (1).''.
b
Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for such chapter 131
is amended by adding at the end the following:
subchapter iv--restrictions on trade of covered investments
13151. Definitions.
13152. Trade of covered investments.
13153. Penalties.
SEC. 3. LIFETIME BAN ON FORMER MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND INDIVIDUALS
APPOINTED TO ADVICE AND CONSENT POSITIONS FROM LOBBYING
ON BEHALF OF FOREIGN COUNTRIES OF CONCERN.
Section 207 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding
at the end the following:
``(m) Restrictions Relating to Foreign Countries of Concern.--
``(1) In general.--Any person who is a Member of the House
of Representatives, a Senator, or was appointed to a position
by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the
Senate, and who knowingly, at any point after that person
leaves office--
``(A) represents a foreign country of concern
before any officer or employee of the United States
Government with the intent to influence a decision of
such officer or employee in carrying out his or her
official duties, or
``(B) aids or advises a foreign country of concern
with the intent to influence a decision of any officer
or employee of the United States Government, in
carrying out his or her official duties,
shall be punished as provided in section 216 of this title.
``(2) Foreign country of concern defined.--In this
subsection, the term `foreign country of concern' means the
People's Republic of China, the Democratic People's Republic of
Korea, the Russian Federation, the Islamic Republic of Iran, or
any other country determined to be a country of concern by the
Secretary of State.''.
SEC. 4. REGISTRATION OF SPOUSES OF SENIOR FEDERAL OFFICIALS AND
DISCLOSURES RELATING TO LOBBYING ACTIVITIES.
a
Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that spouses of
high-ranking officials--
(1) are afforded unique privileges of access to numerous
government officials due to their close personal relationship
with a high-ranking official;
(2) often have the ability to influence a policy decision
made by a government official to benefit an individual of their
choosing, including themselves, or a private entity;
(3) are not covered under the Lobbying Disclosure Act,
creating loopholes ripe for exploitation for nefarious
purposes, including self-enrichment; and
(4) must be held to a higher level of scrutiny to prevent
abuse of or the appearance of abuse of their close proximity to
high-ranking officials.
b
In General.--
(1) Registration.--
(A) Current officials.--Not later than 45 days
after the date that guidance is issued under subsection
d
, a spouse of any individual who is a covered
Federal official on such date shall register with the
Secretary of the Senate and Clerk of the House of
Representatives.
(B) Future officials.--Not later than 45 days after
the date that an individual begins service as a covered
Federal official after the date that such guidance is
issued, the spouse of such official shall register with
the Secretary and Clerk.
(2) Exemption.--A spouse shall be exempt from this section
if the spouse has registered, or is registered, with the
Secretary and the Clerk in accordance with section 4 of the
Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1603).
(3) Termination.--An individual who is a spouse of a
covered Federal official shall not be subject to the
requirements of this section beginning on the date that is one
year after--
(A) the date the applicable Federal official is no
longer a covered Federal official; or
(B) the individual is no longer the spouse of a
covered Federal official.
c
Disclosure.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 20 days after the end of
each 3-month period beginning on the first day of January,
April, July, and October of each year in which a spouse is
registered pursuant to subsection (b), the spouse shall
disclose any covered advocacy activities during such quarterly
period.
(2) Contents of report.--Each quarterly report filed under
paragraph (1) shall contain--
(A) the name of the spouse, the name of the client
which received such covered advocacy activities, and
any changes or updates to the information provided in
the initial registration;
(B) for each general issue in which the spouse
engaged in covered advocacy activities on behalf of the
client during the quarterly period--
i
a list of the specific issues upon
which spouse engaged in covered advocacy
activities, including, to the maximum extent
practicable, a list of bill numbers and
references to specific executive branch
actions;
(ii) a statement to the Houses of Congress
and the Federal agencies contacted by spouse on
behalf of the client; and
(iii) a description of the interest, if
any, of any foreign entity in such covered
advocacy activities;
(C) an estimate of any such expenses incurred in
connection with covered advocacy activities during the
quarterly period; and
(D) for each client, immediately after listing the
client, an identification of whether the client--
i
had an interest before a covered
executive branch official (as that term is
defined in section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure
Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1602));
(ii) had an interest before a covered
legislative branch official (as that term is
defined in such section 3); and
(iii) if the registrant is a spouse of a
Member of Congress, if such client has
operations within the congressional district
represented by such Member.
(3) Electronic filing required.--A report required to be
filed under this section shall be filed in electronic form, in
addition to any other form that the Secretary of the Senate or
the Clerk of the House of Representatives may require.
(4) Public disclosure.--The Secretary or the Clerk shall
make available for public inspection and copying at reasonable
times the registrations and reports filed under this section
and make such report available for public inspection over the
internet as soon as practicable after the report is filed.
d
Guidance.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this section, the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of
the House of Representatives shall issue guidance on the implementation
of this section. Such guidance shall provide for the following:
(1) Guidance and assistance on the registration and
reporting requirements of this section and common standards,
rules, and procedures for compliance with this section.
(2) Relevant administrative procedures to allow electronic
filing of any registration or reporting required under this
section and public disclosure of such electronic filings.
(3) Procedures for--
(A) reviewing and verifying the accuracy,
completeness, and timeliness of registration and
reports;
(B) notifying (in writing) any spouse of a covered
Federal official that the spouse may be in
noncompliance with this section; and
(C) notifying the United States Attorney for the
District of Columbia that a spouse may be in
noncompliance with this section if the spouse has been
notified under subparagraph (B) and has failed to
provide an appropriate response within the 60-day
period after such notice.
(4) Any other requirements necessary to carry out this
section.
e
Penalties.--
(1) Civil penalty.--Whoever knowingly fails to--
(A) remedy a defective registration within 60 days
after notice of notice of such a defect by the
Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of the House of
Representatives; or
(B) comply with any other provision of this
section;
shall, upon proof of such knowing violation by a preponderance
of the evidence, be subject to a civil fine of not more than
$200,000, depending on the extent and gravity of the violation.
(2) Criminal penalty.--Whoever knowingly and corruptly
fails to comply with any provision of this section shall be
imprisoned for not more than 5 years or fined under title 18,
United States Code, or both.
f
Definitions.--In this section--
(1) the term ``covered advocacy activity'' means any
support provided to or work on behalf of a client for the
preferred outcome of a client, including legislative or
executive branch actions, which is done outside of reasonable
advocacy work, such as--
(A) any utilization of contacts made available due
to the service of the covered Federal official;
(B) any support provided to or work on behalf of a
client completed by the spouse over 2 or more quarterly
periods; and
(C) any activity that qualifies as a lobbying
contact (as that term is defined in section 3 of the
Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1602)); and
(2) the term ``covered Federal official'' means a--
(A) a Senator or a Representative in, or Delegate
or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress; and
(B) any individual occupying a position in the
Federal Government for which appointment is required to
be made by the President, by and with the advice and
consent of the Senate.
SEC. 5. PROHIBITION WITH RESPECT TO SERVING ON CORPORATE BOARDS FOR
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS OR SPOUSES OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.
a
Prohibition.--Except as provided under subsection (b), a Member
of Congress or the spouse of a Member of Congress may not serve as an
officer or member of any board of any for-profit association,
corporation, or other similar for-profit entity.
b
Exception.--
(1) In general.--If the spouse of a Member of Congress
serves as an officer or member of any board of an entity
described in subsection (a) prior to the date of the enactment
of this Act or prior to the date that the individual's spouse
began serving as a Member of Congress, the spouse--
(A) may serve out the reminder of the duration of
the board term held as of the date of the enactment of
this Act, which may include as an officer of such
board;
(B) may not seek an officer position during the
term described in subparagraph (A); and
(C) may not serve out an additional board term,
including as an officer, after the conclusion of the
term described in subparagraph (A) for as long as their
respective spouse serves as a Member of Congress.
(2) Disclosure requirements.--
(A) In general.--If the spouse of a Member of
Congress continues to serve on a board pursuant to
paragraph (1), the spouse shall submit a report to the
Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of
Representatives disclosing such service not later than
20 days after the end of the quarterly period beginning
on the first day of January, April, July, and October
of each year.
(B) Report.--The report required under subparagraph
(A) shall include the following:
i
The details of the individual's service
as an officer or member of any board of any
for-profit association, corporation, or other
entity.
(ii) A description of any lobbying activity
carried out by the for-profit association,
corporation, or other entity during that
quarter, and if the spouse engaged in such
activity.
(C) Public disclosure.--The Secretary of the Senate
or the Clerk of the House of Representatives, as the
case may be, shall publicly disclose on their
electronic website in a timely fashion any such report
filed under subparagraph (A).
c
Member of Congress Defined.--In this section, the term ``Member
of Congress'' means a Senator or Representative in, or Delegate or
Resident Commissioner to, the Congress.
SEC. 6. DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS WITH RESPECT TO GIFTS RECEIVED BY
SPOUSE OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.
a
Requirements With Respect to House of Representatives.--Clause
5 of rule XXV of the Rules of the House of Representatives is amended--
(1) in paragraph (c)--
(A) in subparagraph (1)(A), by inserting ``,
including a covered relative,'' after ``or employee of
the House'';
(B) in subparagraph (2), by inserting ``, including
a covered relative,'' after ``or employee of the
House''; and
(C) in subparagraph (3), by inserting ``, including
a covered relative,'' after ``or employee of the
House'';
(2) in paragraph (d), by inserting ``, including a covered
relative,'' after ``or employee of the House'';
(3) in paragraph (e)--
(A) in subparagraph (1), by inserting ``, including
a covered relative,'' after ``or employee of the
House'';
(B) in subparagraph (2), by inserting ``, including
a covered relative,'' after ``or employee of the
House'';
(C) in subparagraph (3), by inserting ``, including
a covered relative,'' after ``or employee of the
House''; and
(D) in subparagraph (4), by inserting ``, including
a covered relative,'' after ``or employees of the
House'';
(4) in paragraph (f)--
(A) in subparagraph (1), by inserting ``, including
a covered relative,'' after ``or employee of the
House'';
(B) in subparagraph (2), by inserting ``, including
a covered relative,'' after ``Resident Commissioner,
officer, or employee''; and
(C) in subparagraph (2)(C), by inserting ``,
including a covered relative,'' after ``Member,
Delegate, or Resident Commissioner''; and
(5) in paragraph (g)--
(A) in subparagraph (2), by striking ``and'' at the
end;
(B) in subparagraph (3), by striking the semicolon
and inserting ``; and''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following new
subparagraph:
``(4) the term `covered relative' means an
individual who is legally married to a Member,
Delegate, or Resident Commissioner, but does not
include such an individual if the individual is a
lobbyist registered under the Lobbying Disclosure Act
of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.).''.
b
Application to Senate.--For purposes of rule XXXV of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the requirements under paragraphs 2(c),
2(d), 2(e), 4(a), and 4(b) of such rule, including the information
required to be disclosed under such paragraphs, shall apply to and
include, as the case may be, an individual who is legally married to a
Member of the Senate, but does not apply to or include such an
individual if the individual is a lobbyist registered under the
Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.).
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