[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8076 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8076
To amend chapter 131 of title 5, United States Code, to prohibit
covered individuals from trading on prediction markets, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 25, 2026
Ms. Budzinski (for herself, Mr. Smith of Nebraska, and Mr. Magaziner)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on
House Administration, and the Judiciary, 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
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend chapter 131 of title 5, United States Code, to prohibit
covered individuals from trading on prediction markets, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Preventing Real-time Exploitation
and Deceptive Insider Congressional Trading Act'' or the ``PREDICT
Act''.
SEC. 2. RESTRICTIONS ON TRADING ON PREDICTION MARKETS.
(a) Restrictions.--Chapter 131 of title 5, United States Code, is
amended by adding at the end a new subchapter:
``SUBCHAPTER IV--RESTRICTIONS ON TRADING ON PREDICTION MARKETS
``Sec. 13151. Definitions
``In this subchapter:
``(1) Covered individual.--The term `covered individual'
means any of the following:
``(A) A Member of Congress as defined in section
13101 of this title.
``(B) A dependent child as defined in such section
13101 or a spouse of a Member of Congress.
``(C) An individual or entity with fiduciary duties
and the authority to enter into or offer to enter into
an agreement, contract, or transaction with respect to
prediction markets for any individual described in
subparagraphs (A) or (B).
``(D) An officer or employee of the Congress as
defined in such section 13101.
``(E) The President.
``(F) The Vice President.
``(G) A political appointee.
``(H) Each officer or employee in the executive
branch, including a special Government employee, as
defined in section 202 of title 18, and any officer or
employee of an independent agency, who occupies a
position classified above GS-15 of the General Schedule
or, in the case of positions not under the General
Schedule, for which the rate of basic pay is equal to
or greater than 120 percent of the minimum rate of
basic pay payable for GS-15 of the General Schedule;
each member of a uniformed service whose pay grade is
at or in excess of O-7 under section 201 of title 37;
and each officer or employee in any other position
determined by the Director of the Office of Government
Ethics to be of equal classification.
``(I) A judicial officer as defined in section
13101 of this title.
``(J) A judicial employee as defined in section
13101 of this title.
``(2) Independent agency.--The term `independent agency'
has the meaning given the term `independent establishment' as
defined in section 104 of this title.
``(3) Political appointee.--The term `political appointee'
means an individual--
``(A) occupying a position described under sections
5312 through 5316 of this title (relating to the
Executive Schedule);
``(B) serving under a noncareer appointment in the
Senior Executive Service, as defined under paragraph
(7) of section 3132(a) of this title; or
``(C) occupying a position in the executive branch
of the Government of a confidential or policy-
determining character under schedule C of subpart C of
part 213 of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations.
``(4) Supervising ethics office.--The term `supervising
ethics office'--
``(A) has the meaning given the term in section
13101 of this title; and
``(B) in the case of an independent agency, means
the Office of Government Ethics.
``Sec. 13152. Trading on prediction markets
``(a) Conduct During Federal Service.--No covered individual may
enter into, or offer to enter into an agreement, contract, or
transaction that provides for any purchase, sale, payment, or delivery
that is dependent on the occurrence, nonoccurrence, or the extent of
the occurrence of a specific political event.
``(b) Interpretative Guidance.--The supervising ethics office shall
issue interpretive guidance on any relevant term not defined in this
subchapter.
``Sec. 13153. Penalties
``(a) In General.--
``(1) Penalties.--Any covered individual who violates the
restrictions in section 13152 of this title shall, at the
direction of the supervising ethics office--
``(A) pay a fee equal to ten percent of the value
of the agreement, contract, or transaction in
violation; and
``(B) disgorge the profits of any agreement,
contract, or transaction that violates the provisions
of such section 13152.
``(2) Payment of penalty to treasury.--A penalty imposed
under paragraph (1)(B) shall be payable into the Treasury.
``(b) Payment Restrictions.--A covered individual may not pay any
of the penalties under this section from the following sources:
``(1) The Members' Representational Allowance.
``(2) The Senators' Official Personnel and Office Expense
Account.
``(3) Any contribution (as defined in section 301(8) of the
Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30101(8)))
accepted as a candidate, and any other donation received as
support for activities of the individual as a holder of Federal
office.
``(4) Any other source of funds, other than a salary,
available to such individual through employment or service in
the Federal Government.
``(c) Publication.--Each supervising ethics office shall publish on
a publicly available website a description of--
``(1) each fine assessed by the supervising ethics office
pursuant to this section;
``(2) the reason why each such fine was assessed; and
``(3) the result of each assessment.''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for chapter 131 of
title 5, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the
following:
subchapter iv. restrictions on trading on prediction markets
13151. Definitions.
13152. Trading on prediction markets.
13153. Penalties.
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