Stop Stealing our Chips Act
Tech Exports: Rewards for Reporting Illegal Chip Sales
Stalled
No legislative action in over 90 days.
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- This bill creates a new program to reward people who report companies or individuals for illegally sending high-tech computer chips to foreign enemies. The goal is to protect national security by making sure advanced artificial intelligence technology stays out of the hands of countries that could use it against the United States.
- Whistleblowers who provide original information that leads to a government fine can receive a cash reward. The payment would be between 10% and 30% of the total money collected from the fine. This applies to anyone who speaks up voluntarily, including people who are not U.S. citizens, as long as they aren't federal employees on the job.
- The law would make it illegal for employers to fire, demote, or harass workers who report these crimes. If a worker is punished for being a whistleblower, they can sue to get their job back with the same seniority. They could also be awarded double the amount of back pay they are owed, plus coverage for their legal fees.
- To make reporting easier and safer, the Department of Commerce will create a secure website where people can submit tips anonymously. The government must check if a report is believable within 60 days and will provide regular status updates to the whistleblower every 30 days while the investigation is ongoing.
Impact Analysis
Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.
Milestones
Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
The Senate voted to approve this bill. If the House already passed it, it goes to the President.
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
The Senate voted to approve this bill. If the House already passed it, it goes to the President.
Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs discharged by Unanimous Consent.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
4 articles
A Whistleblower Incentive Program to Enforce U.S. Export Controls
The whistleblower program proposed in the bipartisan Rounds-Warner bill—aptly named the Stop Stealing Our Chips Act—would incentivize people with knowledge of violations to come forward by providing whistleblowers with 10 to 30 percent of any resulting penalty.
Senate Bill Would Reward Those Who Report Illegal Exports of AI Chips to China
Sens. Mike Rounds and Mark Warner introduced a bill aimed at preventing the smuggling of U.S. artificial intelligence chips into China. The Stop Stealing our Chips Act would create a program at the Bureau of Industry and Security to incentivize whistleblowers to report illegal exports.
BIS Needs New AI Chip Notification Requirement, Whistleblower Program, Researchers Say
Researchers recommended that Congress authorize a new whistleblower incentive program for export controls, modeled after the SEC program, which offers awards between 10% and 30% of the penalty to encourage reporting of smuggling.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Stop Stealing our Chips Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(1)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.