Sponsors
The bill increases accountability by stripping CSRS pensions and clarifying forfeiture triggers for Members convicted of sexual exploitation, trafficking, and related felonies, trading off retroactive coverage and potential financial hardship for affected former Members plus added administrative costs.
Members of Congress convicted of child exploitation, trafficking, or specified sexual felonies will be stripped of their Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) annuities, preventing taxpayer-funded pensions for convicted offenders.
The law clarifies and expands accountability rules and explicit pension-forfeiture triggers for congressional misconduct, strengthening consequences and deterrence for sexual crimes by Members after enactment.
By expressly naming child exploitation, trafficking, and sexual abuse offenses as forfeiture triggers, the measure may bolster public trust that Congress holds members to concrete standards and consequences.
Individuals convicted under the law may face sudden loss of expected retirement income, creating significant financial hardship for affected former Members.
The forfeiture applies only to offenses committed after enactment, risking unequal treatment between past and future offenders and leaving some victims without consistent accountability.
Implementing pension forfeitures and adjudicating appeals could increase administrative workload and costs for the Office of Personnel Management and federal courts, imposing additional taxpayer-funded agency burdens.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Bars Members of Congress convicted of certain felony sexual or trafficking offenses committed after enactment from receiving CSRS or FERS annuities.
Introduced April 17, 2026 by Joshua David Hawley · Last progress April 17, 2026
Prevents Members of Congress (including Delegates and the Resident Commissioner) who commit specified felony sexual or trafficking offenses after enactment from receiving federal retirement annuities under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). It adds several categories of sexual and trafficking crimes to the list of offenses that can trigger forfeiture of a congressional pension and makes the change effective only for acts or omissions occurring after the law takes effect.