PERFECT Act of 2026
- Bill Number
- H.R. 8962
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-05-21: Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
- Last Updated
- 2026-07-06T22:06:15Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose of the Legislation This bill aims to protect members of the U.S. Armed Forces, particularly enlisted personnel and recruits, from health risks associated with certain dietary supplements and performance-enhancing substances. It does so by requiring the Department of Defense to maintain and regularly update a public list of prohibited ingredients while introducing limited flexibility for first-time, good-faith violations.
Key Provisions
- The Secretary of Defense must publish and update every 90 days a list of prohibited dietary supplement ingredients and performance-enhancing substances for use by service members.
- The list must be available in three formats: a full view on a website without needing a search function, a searchable database, and a downloadable common-format file.
- Commanding officers may choose not to discipline a member for a first offense involving a non-controlled substance on the list if the member meets a "good faith standard" (such as lacking actual knowledge of the ingredient, purchasing from a DoD-affiliated store, or reasonably relying on an outdated or incomplete list search) and agrees to education, counseling, or testing instead.
- Possession of a listed non-controlled substance in a dietary supplement does not count as drug abuse under the law.
- The Secretary must update relevant Department of Defense instructions, enhance the Operation Supplement Safety website with tools like autofill, AI scanning for labels, and notification registration, and review ways to add supplement safety education to existing training programs.
- The Secretary is required to submit implementation reports to Congress, including an initial report within 120 days, a final report within two years, and annual reports for five years that track administrative separation actions and education effectiveness.
Significant Changes to Existing Law The bill adds a new section 978a to Chapter 49 of title 10, United States Code, establishing formal lists and procedures that did not previously exist in statute. It creates exceptions to standard discipline and reclassifies certain possession cases away from drug abuse definitions, while mandating specific publication formats and website improvements not required under current law.
Potential Impacts
- On government agencies: The Department of Defense must allocate resources for list maintenance, website upgrades, education programs, and detailed reporting to Congress.
- On citizens: Service members gain clearer guidance and limited protections against severe penalties for unintentional use, while the public gains access to the prohibited list.
- On international relations: No direct effects are outlined in the legislation.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- The Secretary of Defense and Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness.
- Members of the Armed Forces, especially those who use or might use dietary supplements.
- Commanding officers responsible for disciplinary decisions.
- Retail facilities affiliated with the Department of Defense.
- Congressional committees on Armed Services, which receive required reports.
- Vendors and manufacturers of dietary supplements.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications The legislation introduces a "good faith" defense mechanism that offers commanders discretion on first offenses, potentially reducing administrative separations and altering how military justice handles supplement-related cases. It emphasizes transparency through public lists and technology enhancements but leaves decisions on specific prohibited items to the Secretary of Defense rather than Congress. No explicit constitutional issues are addressed in the bill text.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Rep. Davidson, Warren [R-OH-8]
Cosponsors (3)
Rep. Harrigan, Pat [R-NC-10], Rep. Khanna, Ro [D-CA-17], Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17]
Recent Actions
- 2026-05-21: Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
- 2026-05-21: Introduced in House
- 2026-05-21: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Protecting Enlisted and Recruits from Excessive and Catastrophic Trials Act of 2026 — issued 2026-05-21 — PDF (8 pages)