Bill requires disclosure of presidential pardons, caps donations from pardoned individuals
H.R. 10290 — No Pardon Paydays Act of 2026 · Filed by Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA) · 2 cosponsors · Introduced Sep 3, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill requires the President's Pardon Attorney to submit a written analysis to Congress within 30 days of any presidential pardon, detailing the recipient's criminal history unrelated to the pardoned offense and assessing recidivism risk. It also caps campaign contributions from pardoned individuals at $1,000 to the President's committees or entities supporting the President's election, with the FEC empowered to refer violations for criminal prosecution.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core mechanism is disclosure (pardon justifications to Congress) plus a contribution cap on pardoned persons. Both provisions target potential corruption in the clemency process—specifically the risk that pardons are granted in exchange for campaign support. This is a straightforward anti-corruption and transparency measure.
What the text implies
- The $1,000 contribution cap applies only to pardoned individuals, creating a class of citizens with restricted political speech rights. While the restriction targets a narrow group and serves an anti-corruption purpose, it does establish a precedent for contribution limits tied to executive action.
- The bill does not define 'pardon' (full pardon vs. commutation vs. other clemency forms), leaving ambiguity about which clemency grants trigger the disclosure and contribution restrictions.
- The FEC's authority to refer violations for criminal prosecution may create tension with DOJ independence, depending on how the referral process is structured in practice.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Citizens gain transparency into presidential clemency decisions and reduced risk of corruption (pardons granted in exchange for campaign donations). The disclosure requirement and contribution cap both serve accountability and democratic integrity without restricting ordinary citizens' rights or protections.
Named in the bill
President, Pardon Attorney, Department of Justice, Congress, Federal Election Commission, Attorney General
Where it stands
2 cosponsors: 2 Democrats.
- Sep 3, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Sep 3, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on House Administration and House Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on House Administration, for a…”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,317 characters) on Sep 5, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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