H.R. 8076

[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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