# 119-hr-5998: To provide for the continued operation of the Hatch Act Unit of the Office of Special Counsel during a lapse in appropriations, and for other purposes.

119-hr-5998, To provide for the continued operation of the Hatch Act Unit of the Office of Special Counsel during a lapse in appropriations, and for other purposes., is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Conaway, Herbert C. [D-NJ-3] (D-NJ); status introduced (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5998
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-5998
- Congress: 119
- Title: To provide for the continued operation of the Hatch Act Unit of the Office of Special Counsel during a lapse in appropriations, and for other purposes.
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-11-10
- Sponsor: Rep. Conaway, Herbert C. [D-NJ-3] (D-NJ)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Keeps Hatch Act enforcement running during a government funding lapse.** This bill would allow Office of Special Counsel Hatch Act Unit staff to continue work on alleged violations of 5 U.S.C. 7323 and 7324 during a lapse in appropriations by treating those services as emergency work under 31 U.S.C. 1342. The authority is limited to the Hatch Act Unit's activities tied to those alleged violations.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Craig, Angie [D-MN-2] (D-MN), 2025-11-12T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Hatch Act enforcement during shutdowns: benefit, low. If enacted, the Office of Special Counsel would keep working Hatch Act cases during a funding lapse. It would cover only alleged violations of 5 U.S.C. 7323 and 7324 (federal political activity rules). That work would be treated as emergency services under 31 U.S.C. 1342 so it could continue in a s…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-10421: Transforming Education for the Future Act
- 119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7481: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026
- 119-hr-6900: American Affordability Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-5998 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5998)

## Related
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-10421: Transforming Education for the Future Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-10421)
- [119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7853)
- [119-hr-7481: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7481)
- [119-hr-6900: American Affordability Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6900)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5998 (as of 2026-04-21).