Congressional Pension Integrity Act of 2026
- Bill Number
- H.R. 8427
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Congress
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-04-21: Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, 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
- 2026-05-01T18:41:05Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose
The Congressional Pension Integrity Act of 2026 (H.R. 8427) aims to bar Members of Congress (current or former) from receiving federal pensions or retired pay if they are convicted of serious crimes committed during their service, or if their House determines they engaged in certain sexual misconduct with supervised staff. It also applies to survivors or beneficiaries of such Members.
Key Provisions
- New Section 8323 added to chapter 83 of title 5, United States Code (governing federal retirement):
- Criminal Convictions (Subsection a-b): Prohibits annuity or retired pay based on congressional service if convicted of:
| Offense Category | Examples | |------------------|----------| | Sexual crimes | Rape, sexual assault, sexual abuse of a minor, or participating in a venture forcing sex acts for value (similar to sex trafficking). | | Violent crimes | "Crime of violence" (defined in 18 U.S.C. § 16 as felony with force or threatened force). | | Corruption/fraud crimes | Bribery/graft/conflicts (ch. 11), elections/politics (ch. 29), embezzlement/theft (ch. 31), mail/wire fraud (ch. 63), obstruction of justice (ch. 73) of title 18 U.S.C.; or violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act. |
- Offense must occur while serving as a Member.
- Ban starts after the earlier of conviction date or end of congressional service.
- Ethics Determination (Subsection c): House (e.g., House of Representatives or Senate) can vote per its rules to bar pay if Member engaged in sexual conduct with a supervised officer/employee. Ban starts after determination or end of service.
- Applies to service creditable toward pension; affects Members, survivors, or beneficiaries.
- Effective Date (Subsection d): Starts at the beginning of the next Congress after enactment; applies to post-effective convictions/determinations/terminations.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Introduces a first-of-its-kind blanket prohibition on congressional pensions for specific crimes during service—previously, pensions could continue unless forfeited via separate processes.
- Expands forfeiture beyond general federal employee rules to target congressional misconduct explicitly.
- Adds House ethics determinations as a non-criminal trigger for pension loss.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: House Administration and Oversight/Government Reform Committees handle referrals; increases workload for ethics probes and pension administration (via Office of Personnel Management).
- Citizens/Taxpayers: Potential savings on taxpayer-funded pensions for convicted/corrupt Members (congressional pensions average ~$75,000/year).
- Members of Congress: Stronger financial disincentive for misconduct; could deter crimes but may complicate recruitment.
- No direct international effects.
Main Stakeholders
- Current/former Members of Congress (and their families/beneficiaries): Risk losing lifetime pensions.
- U.S. taxpayers: Benefit from reduced pension payouts.
- Congressional ethics bodies: Gain authority/enforcement role.
- Federal retirement administrators (e.g., OPM): Must implement bans.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Ties pension loss to criminal convictions (clear standard) or House rules-based findings (potentially subjective); survivors lose benefits without separate fault.
- Constitutional: House determinations rely on internal rules, raising due process questions (e.g., notice, appeal rights), but Congress has broad authority over member qualifications/pay (Art. I, § 6).
- Political: Bipartisan sponsors (e.g., Subramanyam, Luna); promotes accountability but could be seen as punitive or selective if unevenly applied across parties/Houses.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Rep. Subramanyam, Suhas [D-VA-10]
Cosponsors (5)
Rep. Luna, Anna Paulina [R-FL-13], Rep. Walkinshaw, James R. [D-VA-11], Rep. Boebert, Lauren [R-CO-4], Rep. Randall, Emily [D-WA-6], Rep. Mace, Nancy [R-SC-1]
Recent Actions
- 2026-04-21: Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, 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.
- 2026-04-21: Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, 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.
- 2026-04-21: Introduced in House
- 2026-04-21: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Congressional Pension Integrity Act of 2026 — issued 2026-04-21 — PDF (4 pages)