A Democratic bill with 1 Democratic cosponsor · See the cosponsor
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill is called the Anti-Bribery Improvement Act and was introduced in the Senate on September 24, 2026. The bill amends title 18 of the United States Code to change the laws regarding the bribery of public officials and witnesses. Specifically, it adds a definition for the term access. It also makes it illegal to give or receive things of value to induce or promise access through an explicit promise or undertaking.
Yes
- Scored +5
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?
The bill clarifies and strengthens anti-bribery laws by explicitly defining access and prohibiting the trading of access for things of value, improving governmental integrity.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Clearer bribery rules: Section 2 adds a specific definition for the term access, which means the use of a public official's ability to influence decisions or matters in their official capacity. This is positive because it clearly defines what influencing decisions means in the context of the law.
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Holding officials accountable: Section 2 updates subsection (b) to make it explicitly illegal for a person to give things of value to induce a public official to provide access through an explicit promise, and illegal for a public official to make an explicit promise to provide access. This helps hold our elected and public officials accountable by directly targeting the trading of access for things of value.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- The provided text does not contain any specific sections or provisions that outline negative consequences or burdens for individuals or groups of people in the United States.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — The bill clarifies and strengthens anti-bribery laws by explicitly defining access and prohibiting the trading of access for things of value, improving governmental integrity.
- 9/24/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
Cory BookerDemocrat · New Jersey