# 119-s-5256: Abuse of the Pardon Prevention Act of 2026

119-s-5256, Abuse of the Pardon Prevention Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV] (D-NV); status introduced (as of 2026-08-20).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5256
- As of: 2026-08-20
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5256
- Congress: 119
- Title: Abuse of the Pardon Prevention Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-08-05
- Sponsor: Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV] (D-NV)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-20

## Summary

**Oversight of presidential pardons** would be strengthened through mandatory inspector general reviews and required congressional access to prosecution and White House materials. It would also expand bribery laws tied to pardons, bar self-pardons, and require public financial disclosures from pardon recipients. - Inspectors general must open investigations and receive the full prosecution, Justice Department, and Executive Office materials within 30 days of a pardon. Committees would get the same materials and could not use grand jury secrecy to block them, and the Attorney General or President must report noncompliance within 10 days. - Bribery rules would be rewritten to cover the President and Vice President and to treat pardons, commutations, reprieves, and offers of them as means or elements of bribery. Any presidential self-pardon would be void and would not confer immunity. - Individuals pardoned after enactment would be required to file detailed gift and financial reports with the Office of Government Ethics using an online portal the director must set up within 180 days. Reports would be posted publicly and annual disclosures would continue for five years.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA] (D-CA), 2026-08-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT), 2026-08-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI] (D-HI), 2026-08-05T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Tighter oversight and document sharing: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Attorney General and the President would have to send prosecution, DOJ, investigative, and Executive Office materials to Inspectors General and to congressional committee leaders within 30 days after a pardon for a covered offense. The Justice Department Inspector General would have…
- Public financial reports for pardons: cost, low. If enacted, people pardoned on or after the bill would have to file public financial disclosure reports with the Office of Government Ethics. The Director must build an online portal within 180 days and post each report to a searchable website within 15 days after submission. An initial report is d…
- Stronger bribery rules and self‑pardon ban: mixed, high. If enacted, federal bribery law would be changed to expressly cover the President and Vice President and certain apparent successful candidates who have not yet taken office. The bill would treat a pardon, commutation, reprieve, or an offer of any of those as possible corrupt consideration under br…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-5283: Momnibus Act
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026
- 119-s-1503: Equality Act

## Sources
- [119-s-5256 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5256)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-5283: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5283)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [119-s-1503: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1503)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5256 (as of 2026-08-20).