To amend the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to restrict trading and ownership of covered investments by senior government officials, and for other purposes.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · September 28, 2022
Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and in addition to the Committees on House Administration, the Judiciary, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Combatting Financial Conflicts of Interest in Government Act
This bill generally prohibits senior government officials from owning or trading in synthetic assets (i.e., tokenized derivatives). It also establishes financial disclosure requirements with respect to cryptocurrency.
Specifically, the bill prohibits senior officials, Members of Congress, the President, the Vice President, certain presidential appointees, judicial officers, members of the Federal Reserve Board, and presidents or vice presidents of a Federal Reserve bank from owning or trading investments in a security, a commodity, a future, cryptocurrency, or any comparable economic interest acquired through synthetic means, such as through a derivative. Such investments must be divested through gift or donation, cashing out, or a qualified blind trust. The appropriate ethics office may grant temporary exemptions in certain situations, such as for preexisting complex financial arrangements from which investments cannot be withdrawn, and may assess fees for violations. The Department of Justice may also bring civil actions for violations.
The bill also (1) incorporates cryptocurrency and other digital assets into current financial disclosure requirements; (2) modifies the categories and timelines for financial disclosures; and (3) requires agencies, ethics offices, and the Department of Justice to regularly report on violations of this bill and other related requirements.
Take Action
Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.