No Pensions for Congressional Predators Act
- Bill Number
- S. 4343
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Government Operations and Politics
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-04-17: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- Last Updated
- 2026-05-04T20:42:14Z
AI-Generated Summary
Summary of S. 4343: No Pensions for Congressional Predators Act
Purpose
To bar Members of Congress (including Senators, House Representatives, Delegates, and the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico) convicted of specific felony sexual abuse offenses from receiving federal retirement benefits earned from their congressional service.
Key Provisions
- Forfeiture of Retirement Benefits:
- Amends the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) under 5 U.S.C. § 8332(o) and Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) under 5 U.S.C. § 8411(l).
- Targets felony convictions for:
- Sexual abuse offenses (18 U.S.C. Chapter 109A, e.g., rape) or similar under state/Tribal law (new clause xxxii).
- Sexual exploitation/abuse of children (18 U.S.C. Chapter 110) or similar (xxxiii).
- Obscene visual representations of child sexual abuse (18 U.S.C. § 1466A) or similar (xxxiv).
- Child/person trafficking (18 U.S.C. Chapter 117, §§ 1590/1591) or similar (xxxv).
- Timing: Applies to offenses committed after the date of enactment.
- No Removal Required: Unlike some existing forfeitures, conviction alone triggers loss of congressional service-based annuity (no need for removal from office).
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Expands lists of disqualifying felonies in CSRS/FERS forfeiture rules by adding four new clauses specific to congressional members.
- Removes the requirement for official removal from office for these sexual offenses.
- Makes forfeiture prospective (post-enactment acts/omissions only).
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must enforce updated forfeiture rules for congressional pensions.
- Citizens/Taxpayers: Potential savings on public pension funds by denying benefits to convicted individuals.
- No direct international relations impact.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Primary: Current/former Members of Congress, Delegates, and Puerto Rico's Resident Commissioner convicted of listed offenses (lose service-based pensions).
- Secondary: OPM (implementation); congressional pension funds; taxpayers.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Strengthens existing pension forfeiture framework (CSRS/FERS already allow forfeiture for serious felonies) by targeting sexual crimes without needing Senate/House expulsion.
- Constitutional: Aligns with precedents on public employee pension conditions; no apparent free speech/property rights issues.
- Political: Increases accountability for elected officials, potentially deterring misconduct but applying only prospectively (no retroactive effect). Referred to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Recent Actions
- 2026-04-17: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- 2026-04-17: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- No Pensions for Congressional Predators Act — issued 2026-04-17 — PDF (4 pages)