Sponsors (5)
The bill removes federal retirement pay for federal employees and retirees convicted of specified sex offenses (including State-law convictions) to strengthen accountability and statutory clarity, at the cost of creating financial hardship for affected individuals and added fairness and administrative challenges.
Federal employees and retirees convicted of the listed sex offenses will lose annuity or retired pay once convicted, preventing them from receiving federal retirement benefits tied to those crimes.
Federal forfeiture rules are extended to equivalent State-law sex offenses across all States and territories, creating uniform treatment and aligning federal retirement forfeiture with existing federal criminal statutes.
Clarifies statutory cross-references and administration for OPM and DoD, reducing legal ambiguity and helping agencies implement forfeiture and recovery actions more consistently.
Federal employees and retirees convicted under State law may lose retirement income, increasing financial hardship for affected retirees and their dependents.
Because the bill's application is limited (post-conviction or post-enactment), similarly situated individuals convicted before enactment may avoid forfeiture, producing unequal outcomes.
Extending forfeiture to State convictions across many jurisdictions could increase administrative burdens and litigation costs for OPM and DoD as they determine applicability and defend challenges.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Expands federal law to forfeit annuities and retired pay for convictions of specified sex offenses, including equivalent State-law convictions, for offenses committed and convicted after enactment.
Ends or denies federal annuities and military retired pay for people convicted of certain sex crimes by adding a new rule to the federal retirement forfeiture statute and extending that rule to equivalent State-law convictions. The changes update references in federal law so the new forfeiture rule applies to covered offenses committed and convicted on or after the law takes effect.
Official title: Amend title 5, United States Code, to prohibit the payment of annuities and retired pay to individuals convicted of certain sex crimes.
Introduced April 30, 2026 by Joni Ernst · Last progress April 30, 2026