Sponsors (6)
The bill increases transparency and reduces foreign‑influence and corporate‑board conflicts around members of Congress, but does so at the cost of new privacy intrusions, compliance burdens, potential income loss for spouses and former officials, and legal/politicization risks from vague standards and delegation authority.
Taxpayers and the American public: former Members and Senators are barred from lobbying or advising designated adversary countries, reducing foreign influence and the risk that sensitive insider knowledge will be used against U.S. interests.
Taxpayers, voters, and watchdogs: mandatory registration, public posting, quarterly reporting, and verification of covered spouses' paid advocacy and gift disclosures increase transparency and create clearer enforcement pathways (including referrals for prosecution) to detect and deter influence‑peddling around high‑ranking officials.
Voters and taxpayers: restrictions on Members' and spouses' corporate board service (with reporting for grandfathered spouses) reduce conflicts of interest that could unduly shape legislation or oversight.
Spouses of officials and former lawmakers: bans and limits on post‑service employment and board service can reduce career opportunities and post‑service income, deterring legitimate work and financially burdening families.
Registered spouses, federal employees, and taxpayers: vague standards about 'intent to influence' together with criminal penalties for reporting errors (up to five years) create legal risk and chilling effects that may deter benign activity or produce contested enforcement actions.
Registered spouses, small-business owners, and family members: public disclosures of paid advocacy, clients, gifts, or business ties can reveal sensitive commercial or personal information, harming privacy and competitive interests.
Based on analysis of 6 sections of legislative text.
Bars certain former officials from representing or advising specified foreign countries, requires spouse registration and quarterly disclosure of advocacy, bans Members and spouses from corporate officer/board roles with narrow grandfathering.
Official title: To require new ethics obligations and restrictions for Members of Congress, their spouse, and dependents, and for other purposes.
Introduced March 5, 2026 by Haley Stevens · Last progress March 5, 2026
Prohibits certain former senior officials from representing or advising specified foreign countries of concern, expands public disclosure and registration rules for spouses of covered federal officials, bars Members of Congress and Members’ spouses from serving as officers or board members of for‑profit entities (with a narrow grandfather exception), and extends House and Senate disclosure rules to spouses. The bill creates new criminal and civil enforcement paths, deadlines for agency guidance and registration, and quarterly public reporting requirements for affected spouses and for certain continuing board service by grandfathered spouses. Overall, the legislation is an ethics-and‑conflict‑of‑interest package aimed at restricting foreign lobbying by former officials, increasing transparency about spouses’ advocacy and gifts, and preventing active lawmakers and their spouses from holding corporate officer/board roles that could pose conflicts of interest.