Sponsors (2)
This bill strengthens protections for federal funds and clarifies agency responsibilities by automatically excluding certain convicted individuals and requiring uniform guidance, but it does so at the cost of restricting economic opportunities for some justice-involved people and imposing administrative burdens and waiver-related risks on agencies and the public.
Taxpayers and victims of procurement fraud: Bars individuals convicted of specified contract- and grant-related felonies from receiving federal awards for three years, reducing the risk of fraud, misuse of federal funds, and repeat offenses.
Federal agencies and officials (including DOJ and GSA): Creates an automatic exclusion mechanism in statute and requires Attorney General and GSA guidance within one year, giving agencies clearer, more uniform instructions that reduce uncertainty and improve consistent application across agencies.
Individuals with covered convictions (including some with deferred-adjudication pleas): Are automatically barred from federal contracts and grants for three years, limiting rehabilitation, employment, and economic opportunity for justice-involved people.
Agencies (GSA, DOJ, federal contracting offices): Will incur increased administrative workload and costs to process notifications, exclusions, waivers, and to draft and disseminate required guidance, and may face legal costs defending exclusions.
Taxpayers and public trust: The statute's waiver authority could be used for politically influenced exemptions, potentially undermining the exclusion's protective effect and creating perceptions of favoritism.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Requires that people convicted of certain federal felonies tied to federal contracts, grants, loans, or other federal financial assistance be added to the federal exclusions list and barred from participating in federal awards for three years, unless a head of agency issues a written waiver. The Justice Department must notify the General Services Administration of convictions, GSA must enter the exclusion promptly, and agencies that grant waivers must immediately send copies to Congress. The Attorney General, working with GSA, must issue guidance to implement the rule within one year.
Creates a mandatory three-year SAM exclusion for individuals convicted of specified federal contract- or grant-related felonies, requires DOJ to notify GSA, and allows agency waivers with immediate congressional notice.
Introduced December 19, 2025 by Keith Self · Last progress December 19, 2025