H.R. 9961

119 HR 9961 IH: No Campaign Funded Cover-Ups Act
 U.S. House of Representatives
 2026-07-27
 text/xml
 EN
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 I  119th CONGRESS  2d Session  H. R. 9961  IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES   July 27, 2026   Mr. Khanna  (for himself and  Mrs. Luna ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the  Committee on House Administration    A BILL
To prohibit the use of campaign contributions or legal defense funds to pay settlements or penalties related to sexual assault, sexual abuse, and sexual harassment claims, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   No Campaign Funded Cover-Ups Act  .
2.
Limitations on use of certain contributions with respect to sexual assault and sexual harassment claims
(a)
Prohibition on payment of legal fees
(1)
Prohibition
A covered individual may not use funds from a legal expense fund established for the benefit of the covered individual or contributions to an authorized committee of the individual to pay a legal fee related to defending the covered individual against a claim of sexual assault, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment.
(2)
Reimbursement permitted if held not liable
If a covered individual is held not liable for such a claim, the covered individual may be reimbursed from such fund or committee in an amount equal to the amount of such legal fees paid by the covered individual.
(b)
Prohibition on payment of settlements and judgments
(1)
Prohibition on use of campaign contributions
Section 313(b) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 ( 52 U.S.C. 30114(b) ) is amended by adding at the end the following:
(3)
Use for certain legal fees
For the purposes of paragraph (1), a contribution or donation shall be considered to be converted to personal use if the contribution or amount is used to pay a settlement or court-ordered judgment related to a claim of sexual assault, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment against the candidate or individual.
 .
(2)
Prohibition on use of legal expense funds
A contribution or other payment to a legal expense fund established for the benefit of a covered individual may not be used to pay a settlement or court-ordered judgment related to a claim of sexual assault, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment against the candidate or individual.
(c)
Prohibition on payments for certain private investigators and research
(1)
Prohibition on use of campaign contributions
Section 313(b) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 ( 52 U.S.C. 30114(b) ), as amended by  subsection (b) , is further amended by adding at the end the following:
(4)
Use for private investigators and opposition research
For the purposes of paragraph (1), a contribution or donation shall be considered to be converted to personal use if the contribution or amount is used to pay—
(A)
a private investigator to investigate a person who has brought a claim of sexual assault, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment against the candidate or individual; or
(B)
for research for the purpose of discovering embarrassing or negative information about a person who has brought a claim of sexual assault, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment against the candidate or individual.
 .
(2)
Prohibition on use of legal expenses
A contribution or other payment to a legal expense fund established for the benefit of a covered individual may not be used to pay—
(A)
a private investigator to investigate a person who has brought a claim of sexual assault, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment against the candidate or individual; or
(B)
for research for the purpose of discovering embarrassing or negative information about a person who has brought a claim of sexual assault, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment against the candidate or individual.
(d)
Retroactive application
The provisions of this section shall apply retroactively to any payment occurring after the date that is 2 years prior to the date of the enactment of this Act.
(e)
Definitions
In this section:
(1)
Authorized committee; candidate; contribution; Federal office
In this section, the terms  authorized committee ,  candidate ,  contribution , and  Federal office  have the meanings given such terms in section 301 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 ( 52 U.S.C. 30101 ).
(2)
Covered individual
The term  covered individual  means a candidate for Federal office or an individual who holds a Federal office.
3.
Reporting requirements for legal expenses
Section 304(b) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 ( 52 U.S.C. 30104(b) ) is amended—
(1)
in paragraph (7), by striking  and  at the end;
(2)
in paragraph (8), by striking the period at the end and inserting  ; and ; and
(3)
by adding at the end the following:
(9)
for any disbursement for a legal fee, legal service, or other legal expense—
(A)
the name of the individual or entity receiving the disbursement;
(B)
the date and amount of the disbursement;
(C)
a brief description of the general nature and purpose of the legal matter for which the disbursement was made;
(D)
whether the disbursement was for legal representation, reimbursement of legal expenses, settlement of a claim, satisfaction of a judgment, or another specified purpose; and
(E)
the name of any person whose legal expenses were paid or reimbursed through the disbursement, if such person is not the individual or entity receiving the disbursement.
 .