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Congress·In Committee·H.R. 8861

Department of Justice Integrity Act of 2026

New Ethics Rules for Former Government Lawyers

This bill was recently introduced and is currently being reviewed by the House Committee on the Judiciary. It is in the early stages of the lawmaking process and no further actions have been scheduled yet. The bill is considered active as it waits for the committee to decide on its next steps.

Legislative Progress

House
Senate
President
Law
Unlikely to pass

The bill is sponsored only by members of one party and has not yet received a hearing or support from the other side of the aisle.

Key Points

  • This bill stops federal lawyers from switching sides to help companies they used to investigate. It creates a one year waiting period before a former government attorney can help a business with a federal case they worked on while in office.
  • The rule applies to lawyers who were personally involved in prosecuting a business or making special legal deals with them. It covers corporations, partnerships, and other types of commercial businesses.
  • This change aims to prevent conflicts of interest and keep the justice system fair. It ensures that government secrets or strategies are not used to help a company avoid trouble right after a lawyer leaves the Department of Justice.
  • If a former lawyer breaks this rule, they could face criminal punishments. This makes the ethics rules for government attorneys much stricter than they are now to help build public trust.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
May 15, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

May 15, 2026

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

No related news coverage found for this legislation yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Department of Justice Integrity Act of 2026

Bill NumberHR 8861
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(5)
D: 5

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.