Congress·In Committee·S. 1473

Tech Exports: Rewards for Reporting Illegal Chip Sales

Stop Stealing our Chips Act

12 months ago·View on Congress.gov

Part of: Congress Proposes Financial Rewards for Reporting Illegal Tech Exports

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Stalled

No legislative action in over 90 days.

Legislative Progress

Senate

House

President

Law

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.

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Apr 10, 2025Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

Apr 10, 2025

Introduced in Senate

Related News

4 articles

Lawfare·9 months ago

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.

Export Compliance Daily·11 months ago

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.

Export Compliance Daily·9 months ago

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

Bill NumberS 1473

Congress119th Congress

ChamberSenate

Latest ActionRead twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(1)

D: 1

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.