To amend title 28, United States Code, to prohibit Presidents and Vice Presidents from receiving damages payments from the United States, and for other purposes.
Ban on Legal Settlements for Presidents and Vice Presidents
This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process after being sent to the House Committee on the Judiciary. No further actions or hearings have been scheduled at this time. It is not moving forward right now.
Part of: story →Legislative Progress
This is a partisan bill that targets the personal finances of the executive branch, which rarely gains the broad support needed to pass both chambers of Congress.
Key Points
- This bill stops the President, Vice President, and their immediate families from taking money from the U.S. government through legal settlements or lawsuits while they are in office. This includes payments for damages, lawyer fees, or any other kind of reimbursement from federal agencies.
- If a President or Vice President wants to sue the government for actual losses, a court must appoint an independent lawyer to defend the government. This ensures that the people defending the government are not working directly for the person suing them, which prevents a conflict of interest.
- The bill requires all court documents and audio from these lawsuits to be posted online for the public to see and hear for free. This transparency is meant to make sure the public knows exactly how much money is being discussed and why.
- Former Presidents and Vice Presidents would face strict rules if they try to get money from the government later. Any settlement they reach would have to be handled by career government workers instead of political appointees and must be published in a public record for everyone to read.
- Anyone who breaks these rules could face serious consequences. This includes being forced to give the money back, paying fines up to $1 million, or spending up to five years in prison.
Impact Analysis
Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.
Milestones
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
News
Democrats seek to bar presidents from collecting settlement money from the government
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
To amend title 28, United States Code, to prohibit Presidents and Vice Presidents from receiving damages payments from the United States, and for other purposes.
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(4)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.