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119-s-1849119th Congress

Zeroing Out Money for Buying Influence after Elections (ZOMBIE) Act

Sponsored By: Senator Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO]

Introduced

Summary

Force leftover campaign funds to be disbursed quickly. The ZOMBIE Act would require authorized committees and leadership PACs to spend or return all unspent money within a six-month disbursement window after an election and limit who can receive remaining funds.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

2 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 2 costs, 0 mixed.

New limits on leftover campaign funds

If enacted, this bill would require each authorized committee and leadership PAC of a candidate who stops running for federal office to spend or give away all remaining funds before the earliest of three trigger dates. The three trigger dates are: the last day of a six-month disbursement period that starts after the last day to file state qualifying paperwork for the next election; the date the former candidate first makes a lobbying contact that requires registration under the Lobbying Disclosure Act; or the date the former candidate becomes a foreign agent requiring registration under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. During the six-month period, committees must first pay committee operating obligations. Any money left after paying bills may only be returned to contributors or given to charities that qualify under tax law. The bill would ban payments to charities the candidate started or that bear the candidate’s name. Most payments to relatives would be barred during the period, except to pay committee obligations that must be reported. These rules would begin with the regularly scheduled November 2026 general election.

Sworn compliance for lobbyists and agents

If enacted, the bill would require people who were federal candidates and later register as lobbyists or foreign agents to include a sworn certification with their registration filings on or after the Nov 2026 general election. The certificate must state, under penalty of perjury, that each of the individual’s authorized committees and leadership PACs complies with the new post‑election disbursement rules (section 303A).

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO]

CO • D

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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