Combatting Financial Conflicts of Interest in Government Act 2022-09-28 Introduced in House 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in certain situations, such as for preexisting complex financial arrangements from which investments cannot be withdrawn, and may assess fees for violations.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.

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