HR9545Referred to Committee

HONEST Act of 2026

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Introduced
In Committee
3
Passed One Chamber
4
Passed Both
5
Signed into Law
119th
Congress
2026-06-30
Introduced
0
Cosponsors
HR
ⓘ
Type

Sponsor

Clay Fuller
Clay Fuller
Republican · GA · Representative
Votes with party: 95.2% (124 recorded votes)

Full profile: /officials/F000485

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

Cosponsors (0)

Members who have signed on to support this bill since introduction. Source: Congress.gov.

No cosponsors on record. Bills can pass without cosponsors — this often means the sponsor introduced the bill alone, either because it's a messaging bill, a chairman's mark, or simply early in the legislative cycle.

Latest Action

The most recent step in the bill's legislative path. Committee Activity below shows referrals and reports; the full action-by-action history including floor proceedings lives at Congress.gov →

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

2026-06-30

Source: Congress.gov

Committee Activity

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Plain-English Summary

The proposal would increase criminal penalties for federal officers and members of Congress who commit sex offenses, making the punishments stricter than they currently are under federal law. This would affect federal employees, law enforcement officials, and elected representatives who commit such crimes, potentially resulting in longer prison sentences. The bill is currently under review by the House Judiciary Committee.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

Full Bill Text

Verbatim text published on Congress.gov via GovInfo. Use Cmd+F / Ctrl+F to search within this excerpt.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 9545 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 9545 To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide for increased penalties for sex offenses committed by officers of the United States and Members of Congress, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 30, 2026 Mr. Fuller introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide for increased penalties for sex offenses committed by officers of the United States and Members of Congress, 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 ``Holding Officials to Necessary Ethical Standards and Transparency Act of 2026'' or the ``HONEST Act of 2026''. SEC. 2. INCREASED PENALTIES FOR SEX OFFENSES COMMITTED BY OFFICERS OF THE UNITED STATES AND MEMBERS OF CONGRESS. (a) Female Genital Mutilation.--Section 116(a) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting before the period at the end the following: ``, or if the offender is an officer of the United States or a Member of Congress, be fined under this title, and punished by death or imprisoned for any term of years or for life''. (b) Penalties for Civil Rights Offenses Involving Sexual Misconduct.--Section 250(b) of title 18, United States Code, is amended-- (1) in paragraph (5)(B), by striking ``and'' at the end; (2) in paragraph (6)(B), by striking the period at the end and inserting ``; and''; and (3) by adding at the end the following: ``(7) in the case of an offense with respect to which the offender is an officer of the United States or a Member of Congress, fined under this title, and punished by death or imprisonment for any term of years or for life.''. (c) Sex Trafficking of Children or by Force, Fraud, or Coercion.-- Section 1591(b) of title 18, United States Code, is amended-- (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``or'' at the end; (2) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at the end and inserting ``; or''; and (3) by adding at the end the following: ``(3) if the offense was carried out by an officer of the United States or a Member of Congress, by a fine under this title, and by death or imprisonment for any term of years or for life.''. (d) Aggravated Sexual Abuse.--Section 2241 of title 18, United States Code, is amended-- (1) in subsection (a), by inserting before the period at the end the following: ``, or if the offender is an officer of the United States or a Member of Congress, be fined under this title, and punished by death or imprisoned for any term of years or for life''; (2) in subsection (b), by inserting before the period at the end the following: ``, or if the offender is an officer of the United States or a Member of Congress, be fined under this title, and punished by death or imprisoned for any term of years or for life''; and (3) in subsection (c), by inserting after ``not less than 30 years or for life'' the following: ``, or if the offender is an officer of the United States or a Member of Congress, be fined under this title, and punished by death or imprisoned for any term of years or for life''. (e) Sexual Abuse of a Minor, a Ward, or an…
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Individual in Federal Custody.--Section 2243 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: ``(f) Offenses by Federal Officials or Members of Congress.-- Whoever, being an officer of the United States or a Member of Congress, commits an offense under this section shall be fined under this title, and punished by death or imprisonment for any term of years or for life.''. (f) Abusive Sexual Contact.--Section 2244 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: ``(d) Offenses by Federal Officials or Members of Congress.-- Whoever, being an officer of the United States or a Member of Congress, commits an offense under this section shall be fined under this title, and punished by death or imprisonment for any term of years or for life.''. (g) Sexual Exploitation of Children.--Section 2251(e) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting after ``not less than 35 years nor more than life'' the following: ``, but if such person is an officer of the United States or a Member of Congress, such person shall be fined under this title, and punished by death or imprisonment for any term of years or for life''. (h) Selling or Buying of Children.--Section 2251A of title 18, United States Code, is amended-- (1) in subsection (a), by inserting after ``and by a fine under this title'' the following: ``, or if the offender is an officer of the United States or a Member of Congress, be fined under this title, and punished by death or imprisoned for any term of years or for life''; and (2) in subsection (b), by inserting after ``and by a fine under this title'' the following: ``, or if the offender is an officer of the United States or a Member of Congress, be fined under this title, and punished by death or imprisoned for any term of years or for life''. (i) Certain Activities Relating to Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of Minors.--Section 2252(b) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: ``(3) Whoever, being an officer of the United States or a Member of Congress, violates, or attempts or conspires to violate, subsection (a), shall be fined under this title, and punished by death or imprisoned for any term of years or for life.''. (j) Certain Activities Relating to Material Constituting or Containing Child Pornography.--Section 2252A(b) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: ``(4) Whoever, being an officer of the United States or a Member of Congress, violates, or attempts or conspires to violate, subsection (a), shall be fined under this title, and punished by death or imprisoned for any term of years or for life.''. (k) Sexual Abuse.--Section 2422 of title 18, United States Code, is amended-- (1) in subsection (a), by inserting before the period at the end the following: ``, or if the offender is an officer of the United States or a Member of Congress, be fined under this title, and punished by death or imprisoned for any term of years or for life''. (2) in subsection (b), by inserting before the period at the end the following: ``, or if the offender is an officer of the United States or a Member of Congress, be fined under this title, and punished by death or imprisoned for any term of years or for life''. (l) Transportation of Minors.--Section 2423 of title 18, United States Code, is amended-- (1) by redesignating subsections (g) through (i) as subsection (h) through (j), respectively; and (2) by inserting after subsection (f) the following: ``(g) Offenses by Federal Officials.--Whoever, being an officer of the United States or a Member of Congress, commits an offense under this section shall be fined under this title, and punished by death or imprisonment for any term of years or for life.''. SEC. 3. FEDERAL ADULTERY OFFENSE FOR OFFICERS OF THE UNITED STATES AND MEMBERS OF CONGRESS. (a) Offense.--Chapter 93 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: ``Sec. 1925. Adultery by officers of the United States and Members of Congress ``Whoever, being an officer of the United States or a Member of Congress, in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, knowingly engages in sexual intercourse (including genital-genital, oral-genital, anal-genital, or oral-anal, whether between persons of the same or opposite sex) with a person, and at the time of such conduct, the officer or Member or the person with whom the officer or Member engaged in such conduct, was married to another person, shall be fined under this title, and imprisoned for not more than one year, or both.''. (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 93 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: ``1925. Adultery by officers of the United States and Members of Congress.''. <all>
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