# Summary of S. 5183: Anti-Corruption Bureau Creation Act
This bill establishes a new independent Anti-Corruption Bureau to consolidate and strengthen federal anti-corruption enforcement. The bureau would absorb the functions of three existing agencies—the Federal Election Commission, the Office of Government Ethics, and the Office of Special Counsel—combining their powers into a single seven-member body with safeguards designed to prevent political manipulation.
The bill creates a private right of action allowing citizens and state attorneys general to sue federal officials for corruption-related violations involving more than $50,000 in personal enrichment, with whistleblowers eligible for 15-30 percent of recovered funds. It establishes civil penalties, disgorgement requirements, and treble damages for proven violations, with a 10-year statute of limitations. A Blue Ribbon Advisory Panel would recommend bureau members, and the bureau's chair cannot be removed without written explanation to Congress.
The new bureau would have exclusive authority over campaign finance enforcement, ethics rules, conflicts of interest, financial disclosures, and whistleblower protections. Members would be appointed for staggered six-year terms with political balance requirements (no more than three members from one party), and retired judges would fill vacancies if the president fails to nominate qualified candidates within required timeframes.
The bill authorizes funding through a Freedom From Influence Fund and makes numerous technical amendments to existing law transferring references from the three predecessor agencies to the Anti-Corruption Bureau. Congress intends this independent establishment to prevent future administrations from weakening anti-corruption enforcement mechanisms.
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