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S. 5511

BillFederalSenateIn Committee
A bill to establish a right of action through which citizens can enforce the public's interest in the honest services of government officials.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · September 24, 2026
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced
September 24, 2026
Cosponsors (1)
1D 0R
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Summary

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The Honest Services Fraud Improvement Act creates a new legal avenue for citizens to sue government officials for fraud. Specifically, it allows qualified U.S. citizens who live in or represent a jurisdiction to bring civil lawsuits against federal, state, local, or tribal government officials who engage in schemes to defraud the public of honest government services. To qualify, plaintiffs must be constituents of the official's jurisdiction, cannot themselves be political candidates, and cannot be funded by or coordinated with any candidate or campaign. Lawsuits must be filed within one year of discovery of the alleged fraud, and if successful, courts may award compensatory damages, triple damages for any bribes involved, attorney's fees, and other costs to the plaintiff. The bill includes a 60-day review period allowing federal prosecutors to intervene with a criminal prosecution, in which case the civil case would be dismissed.

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