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To amend title 18, United States Code, to clarify certain conduct that is prohibited for purposes of bribery of public officials and witnesses, and for other purposes.
Summary
This bill amends federal bribery law to clarify the definition of "official act" for purposes of prosecuting bribery of public officials. The bill specifies that an "official act" includes any act within the range of official duty and any decision, recommendation, or action on questions or matters that may be pending or brought before a public official. The bill clarifies that an "official act" may consist of a single act, multiple acts, or a course of conduct intended to effect an official act, and may occur regardless of whether it successfully achieves a desired outcome. The bill is intended to close perceived loopholes in bribery prosecutions by providing a broader definition of what constitutes an "official act."
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
1 cosponsor
- Rep. Craig, Angie [D-MN-2] (D-MN)
Actions (2)
- Jun 4, 2025 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. · house
- Jun 4, 2025 Introduced in House
Similar bills (6)
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Text versions (1)
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Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 4, 2025
Mrs. Sykes introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
A BILL
To amend title 18, United States Code, to clarify certain conduct that is prohibited for purposes of bribery of public officials and witnesses, 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 “Closing Bribery Loopholes Act”.
SEC. 2. CLARIFICATION OF DEFINITION OF “OFFICIAL ACT”.
Section 201(a)(3) of title 18, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
“(3) the term ‘official act’—
“(A) means any act within the range of official duty, and any decision, recommendation, or action on any question, matter, cause, suit, proceeding, or controversy, which may at any time be pending, or which may by law be brought before any public official, in such public official’s official capacity or in such official’s place of trust or profit; and
“(B) may be comprised of a single act, more than one act, or a course of conduct to effect the official act, and may occur whether or not it successfully achieves a desired outcome.”. <all>
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