HouseH.R. 10732119th Congress
No Betting on Your Own Race Act
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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10732 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 10732
To amend title 52, United States Code, to prohibit candidates for
Federal office from trading in contracts on the outcome of their own
elections, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 5, 2026
Mr. Davis of North Carolina introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on House Administration
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title 52, United States Code, to prohibit candidates for
Federal office from trading in contracts on the outcome of their own
elections, 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 ``No Betting on Your Own Race Act''.
SEC. 2. TRADING BY CANDIDATES IN CONTRACTS ON THEIR OWN ELECTIONS.
(a) In General.--Subchapter I of chapter 301 of title 52, United
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 30147. Trading by candidates in contracts on their own elections
``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Candidate.--The term `candidate' has the meaning
given the term in section 301 of the Federal Election Campaign
Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30101).
``(2) Covered platform.--The term `covered platform' means
any registered entity, designated contract market, swap
execution facility, broker, intermediary, or other platform
that facilitates trading in political event contracts.
``(3) Political event contract.--The term `political event
contract' means any agreement, transaction, swap, option,
contract, derivative, or other event contract that allows a
person to purchase, sell, trade, or otherwise obtain direct
financial exposure based on the outcome of--
``(A) a Federal election;
``(B) a primary election;
``(C) a caucus;
``(D) the nomination of a candidate;
``(E) control of Congress;
``(F) any other political or governmental event by
rule by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
``(4) Covered election contract.--The term `covered
election contract' means, with respect to a candidate, a
political event contract the payout or resolution of which
depends on--
``(A) the outcome of an election, primary election,
caucus, convention, or nomination contest in which the
candidate is seeking nomination for election, or
election, to Federal office;
``(B) whether the candidate is, becomes, or remains
a candidate in such a contest; or
``(C) the vote share, margin, or placement of the
candidate in such a contest.
``(5) Covered person.--The term `covered person' means,
with respect to a candidate, the candidate, a spouse or
dependent child of the candidate, or an authorized committee of
the candidate as defined in 52 U.S.C. Sec. 30101(6).
``(b) Offense.--Whoever, being a covered person purchases, sells,
acquires, disposes of, or holds any interest, directly or indirectly,
in a covered election contract with respect to the candidate shall be
civilly fined under 52 U.S.C. Sec. 30109 $10,000 per violation; or an
amount equal to 3 times the net financial gain attributable to the
violation, whichever is greater.
``(c) Indirect Interests.--For purposes of subsection (b), a person
acts indirectly if the person--
``(1) causes, directs, requests, or induces another person
to acquire, hold, or dispose of the interest;
``(2) holds a beneficial interest in the interest, however
titled; or
``(3) provides funds used by another person to acquire the
interest, with knowledge of the intended use.
``(e) Divestment.--It shall not be a violation of subsection (b)
for a person to hold an interest in a contract that becomes a covered
election contract with respect to that person, or to dispose of such an
interest, during the minimum period required by covered platforms to
divest such contract, beginning on the date on which the person becomes
a candidate.
``(f) Protection for Covered Platforms.--
``(1) No liability under this section.--No penalty under
this section shall apply to a covered platform, or to any
officer, director, employee, or agent of a covered platform
acting within the scope of that person's duties.
``(2) Good faith compliance actions.--A covered platform,
and any officer, director, employee, or agent thereof, shall
not be liable to any person under any Federal or State law, or
under any contract, for any action taken in good faith to
prevent or remedy a violation of subsection (b), including
restricting, suspending, or closing an account, or cancelling,
voiding, or unwinding a position or transaction.
``(3) Good faith reporting.--A covered platform, and any
officer, director, employee, or agent thereof, shall not be
liable to any person under any Federal or State law for
reporting in good faith a suspected violation of this section
to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Attorney
General, or the Federal Election Commission, and shall not be
required to notify any person that such a report has been
made.''.
SEC. 3. PUBLICATION OF CANDIDATE INFORMATION AND CANDIDATE
NOTIFICATION.
(a) In General.--The Federal Election Commission shall establish
and maintain a publicly available, machine-readable list of each
individual who is a candidate (as defined in section 301 of the Federal
Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30101)), which shall include,
for each such individual--
(1) the name of the individual and any identifier assigned
to the individual by the Commission;
(2) the office sought; and
(3) the date on which the individual became a candidate
and, if applicable, the date on which the individual ceased to
be a candidate.
(b) Availability.--The Commission shall make the list described in
subsection (a) available at no charge and shall update the list not
less frequently than weekly.
(c) Candidate Notification.--The Federal Election Commission, in
coordination with State and territory boards of elections, shall ensure
that each individual who is a candidate (as defined in section 301 of
the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30101)) is
notified, when a candidate files for Federal office, of the
prohibitions and requirements under this Act.
SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.
This Act, and the amendments made by this Act, shall apply with
respect to conduct occurring on or after the date of enactment of this
Act.
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