No Getting Rich in Congress Act

Bill Number: H.R. 7852
Origin Chamber: House
Congress: 119th Congress, Session 2
Policy Area: Congress
Status: Introduced
Latest Action: 2026-03-05: 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.
Last Updated: 2026-03-27T20:26:06Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose of the Legislation

The "No Getting Rich in Congress Act" (H.R. 7852) aims to strengthen ethics rules for Members of Congress, high-level executive officials, their spouses, and dependents. It seeks to prevent conflicts of interest, self-enrichment, and undue foreign influence by restricting financial trading, lobbying activities, corporate board service, and gift acceptance, while increasing transparency through disclosures.

Key Provisions

Restrictions on Trading Covered Investments (Section 2):
Prohibits Members of Congress, the President, Vice President, candidates for these offices, their spouses, and dependent children from buying or selling "covered investments" (e.g., stocks, commodities, digital assets like cryptocurrencies, futures, or derivatives) unless held in a qualified blind trust (a trust where the owner has no knowledge or control over the assets).
Exceptions allow spouses or dependents to trade if it's part of their primary job and not owned by a covered person.
Requires quarterly disclosures to ethics offices to verify compliance.
Penalties include repaying profits from violations plus up to three times the investment's value; ethics offices handle penalties for officials, while the Attorney General does so for candidates, spouses, and dependents. Penalties cannot be paid from official funds or campaign contributions. Violations are publicly reported.

Lifetime Ban on Lobbying for Foreign Countries of Concern (Section 3):
Imposes a permanent ban on former Members of Congress and Senate-confirmed presidential appointees from representing or advising "foreign countries of concern" (defined as China, North Korea, Russia, Iran, or others designated by the Secretary of State) to influence U.S. government decisions.
Violations are punished under existing federal bribery and conflict-of-interest laws (18 U.S.C. § 216), which can include fines or imprisonment.

Registration and Disclosures for Spouses of Senior Officials (Section 4):
Requires spouses of Members of Congress and Senate-confirmed appointees to register with Congress within 45 days of their partner's taking office (exempt if already registered as a lobbyist under the Lobbying Disclosure Act).
Mandates quarterly reports on "covered advocacy activities" (e.g., influencing legislation or executive actions using connections from the official's role, or sustained work for a client), including client details, issues involved (e.g., bill numbers), contacts made, foreign interests, expenses, and whether clients have business before government officials or in the Member's district.
Registration ends one year after the official leaves office or the marriage ends.
Ethics offices issue guidance within 180 days, including electronic filing and verification procedures; non-compliance triggers notifications and potential referral to the U.S. Attorney. Penalties include civil fines up to $200,000 for knowing violations and up to 5 years imprisonment for corrupt ones.

Prohibition on Serving on For-Profit Corporate Boards (Section 5):
Bans Members of Congress and their spouses from serving as officers or board members of for-profit companies.
Exception for spouses already serving: they can complete their current term (including as officers) but cannot seek new roles or serve additional terms while the Member is in office; requires quarterly disclosures of board service, company lobbying, and spouse involvement, which are publicly posted.

Expanded Gift Disclosure Rules for Spouses (Section 6):
Amends House rules to require disclosure of gifts to spouses of Members (unless the spouse is a registered lobbyist).
Applies similar disclosure requirements to the Senate, covering gifts that could influence official actions.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

Adds a new subchapter to Chapter 131 of Title 5 U.S. Code, creating the first broad federal restrictions on personal investment trading by Congress and top executives, beyond current disclosure rules (e.g., STOCK Act requirements for reporting trades).
Amends 18 U.S.C. § 207 (post-employment lobbying restrictions) to add a lifetime ban specific to foreign adversaries, extending beyond the current 1-2 year cooling-off periods for general lobbying.
Introduces standalone registration and disclosure for spouses outside the Lobbying Disclosure Act (2 U.S.C. § 1601 et seq.), closing loopholes for informal influence-peddling.
Modifies House Rule XXV and Senate Rule XXXV to explicitly include spouses in gift rules, which previously focused only on officials.
Establishes new administrative processes (e.g., guidance, electronic filing, public websites) enforced by congressional clerks and ethics offices, with DOJ involvement for penalties.

Potential Impacts

On Government Agencies: Increases workload for supervising ethics offices (e.g., House/Senate Ethics Committees, Office of Government Ethics), the Department of Justice, and congressional clerks due to new registration, verification, disclosure processing, and enforcement duties. Could enhance internal accountability but require additional resources.
On Citizens: Promotes greater public trust in government by reducing opportunities for insider trading or influence-buying, with more transparent access to officials' financial activities via public websites. May indirectly affect taxpayers by curbing potential misuse of official positions for personal gain.
On International Relations: The lobbying ban could limit foreign adversaries' access to U.S. policy influence through former officials, potentially strengthening national security but straining diplomacy with designated countries if perceived as overly restrictive.

Main Stakeholders Affected

Primary: Members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children; the President, Vice President, and Senate-confirmed appointees; candidates for these offices.
Secondary: Ethics oversight bodies (e.g., congressional ethics committees); the Department of Justice and U.S. Attorneys for enforcement; corporate boards and lobbying firms (due to service bans and disclosures); foreign governments listed as "countries of concern."
Broader: The public, who gains from increased transparency; political campaigns, which face new financial restrictions.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

Legal: Enhances enforceability through specific penalties and public reporting, but relies on "knowing" violations proven by a preponderance of evidence (civil) or beyond (criminal), potentially leading to litigation over definitions like "covered advocacy" or "blind trust" compliance.
Constitutional: Restrictions on trading, lobbying, and board service may face First Amendment challenges as limits on free speech or association, particularly for spouses not directly employed by government; the foreign lobbying ban could be scrutinized under equal protection if applied unevenly to countries.
Political: Could discourage qualified individuals from seeking or holding office due to family-wide burdens, altering candidate pools and increasing scrutiny on personal finances. May reduce perceptions of corruption but spark debates over government overreach into private lives, influencing partisan support for ethics reforms.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Rep. Stevens, Haley M. [D-MI-11]

Cosponsors (5)

Rep. Tran, Derek [D-CA-45], Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6], Rep. Sorensen, Eric [D-IL-17], Rep. Kaptur, Marcy [D-OH-9], Rep. Pappas, Chris [D-NH-1]

Recent Actions

2026-03-05: 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.
2026-03-05: 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.
2026-03-05: 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.
2026-03-05: 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.
2026-03-05: Introduced in House
2026-03-05: Introduced in House

Bill Versions

No Getting Rich in Congress Act — issued 2026-03-05 — PDF (21 pages)