Pardon Reform: New Disclosure and Bribery Rules
The Senate Judiciary Committee received this bill on August 3, 2026, and it has not moved since that date. The committee must review the proposal before it can proceed to a full vote. Most bills do not receive a committee vote, and this measure remains stalled in the early stages of the legislative process.
Companion bill: Presidential Pardons: New Disclosure and Bribery Rules →This bill is led by Democrats and directly criticizes Trump's actions, making it unlikely to get the Republican support needed to pass.
This bill’s path across every version that has carried it.
Companion
Identical companion bill H.R. 10032 (119th) was introduced in the other chamber.
H.R. 10032 (119th) →Scores run from -100 (strongly harmful) to +100 (strongly beneficial) for each group, combining impact, certainty, scope, and duration ratings of 1-5. How impact scoring works
Future pardon or commutation recipients who gave $10,000 or more in gifts, donations, or business deals to the president, the president's family, or related entities would have to publicly report those payments to the Attorney General for five years. This mainly targets wealthy or politically connected clemency recipients, while making the process theoretically fairer for the roughly 10,000 ordinary petitioners who go through the standard Department of Justice review each year.
“each clemency recipient that has provided a covered benefit to a covered recipient during the disclosure period shall file with the Attorney General a disclosure report identifying each covered benefit provided to any covered recipient during the disclosure period.”
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text: CR S4409-4410; Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S4409-4410)
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the introduction of the No Payoffs for Pardons Act, arguing the bill is necessary to stop the 'grift and graft' he alleges has infiltrated the presidential pardon process during the current administration.
Senate Democrats are unveiling a new legislative package, including the No Payoffs for Pardons Act, aimed at increasing transparency in the clemency process and preventing presidents from selling pardons to campaign donors or business associates.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the presidential pardon operation has effectively become a cash-for-clemency system, with intermediaries charging up to $1 million to advocate for pardons, bypassing traditional DOJ review and safeguards.
No votes recorded for this bill yet.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
No Payoffs for Pardons Act
Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.