“To limit donations made pursuant to settlement agreements to which the United States is a party, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section prohibits federal officials or agents from entering into or enforcing settlement agreements on behalf of the United States that direct or provide for payments to any person or entity other than the United States, except for payments that provide restitution for or directly remedy actual harm (including to the environment) directly and proximately caused by the paying party or constitute payment for services rendered in connection with the case. It subjects violators to the same penalties applicable under 31 U.S.C. 3302 (i.e., requirements to deposit public moneys in the Treasury without delay or deduction and prohibitions on misuse). The prohibition applies to settlement agreements—defined as those resolving a civil action or potential civil action—entered on or after the date of enactment. This section also requires (1) the head of each federal agency to submit annual reports to the Congressional Budget Office, beginning at the end of the first fiscal year after enactment, detailing permitted third-party payments in agency settlements (including parties, fund sources, and distribution), with the requirement sunsetting seven years after enactment and no additional funding authorized; and (2) the Inspector General of each agency to submit annual reports on violations, beginning at the end of the first fiscal year after enactment, to the Senate and House Committees on the Judiciary, Budget, and Appropriations and to post them on a public website, with no additional funding authorized.