HR6322119th CongressWALLET

Stop Stealing our Chips Act

Sponsored By: Representative Kean

Introduced

Summary

Would create a whistleblower rewards and protection program for export-control violations funded by a dedicated Export Compliance Accountability Fund. This bill would pay awards for tips that lead to major fines, protect reporters from employer retaliation, and require a public portal and expedited review process.

Show full summary
  • Whistleblowers: Individuals, including non-U.S. citizens, would be eligible if their original information leads to a collected fine greater than $1,000,000. Awards would range from 10% to 30% of the collected fine and can be shared pro rata for joint submissions.
  • Workplace protections: Reporters would get anti‑retaliation rights and a private cause of action. Remedies can include reinstatement with seniority, double back pay with interest, and attorneys' fees, with filing limits that generally run up to 6 years after the violation and a hard cap of 10 years.
  • Process and funding: The bill would require a public online portal within 120 days and a 60‑day initial credibility review, with regular status updates to reporters. It would create an Export Compliance Accountability Fund that must retain at least $100,000,000 adjusted for inflation, receive fines tied to whistleblower‑prompted enforcement, and be available to pay awards and program costs.

Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

Cash rewards for export-control tips

This bill would create cash awards for people whose original tips lead to fines over $1,000,000. You could receive 10% to 30% of the money the government actually collects from that fine. A Treasury fund would be set up within 90 days and would keep at least $100,000,000 (inflation‑adjusted) or enough to pay pending awards. The whistleblower program would launch within 120 days, and tips sent after enactment could qualify even if the violation happened earlier. This would not reduce deposits that law already sends to the Crime Victims Fund or the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund.

Stronger job protections for whistleblowers

This bill would bar employers from blocking contact with the Commerce Department or retaliating for reporting. If you are punished for whistleblowing, you could sue in federal court. If you win, you could get your job back, twice your back pay with interest, and your legal costs and fees. File within 6 years of the violation, or within 3 years of when the facts were known, and no later than 10 years total. People who knowingly make false reports would not be protected.

Safe tip portal and privacy rules

This bill would set up a secure online portal within 120 days to report export‑control violations. You could report anonymously or through a lawyer, but you might need to share your identity to get an award. The agency would check credibility within 60 days and give updates within 60 days and then at least every 180 days. Your identity would be kept confidential, with limited law‑enforcement sharing and a FOIA exemption. Non‑U.S. citizens could qualify as whistleblowers; federal workers acting in their jobs and people on certain sanction lists would not.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Kean

NJ • R

Cosponsors

  • Johnson (TX)

    TX • D

    Sponsored 11/28/2025

  • Krishnamoorthi

    IL • D

    Sponsored 12/1/2025

  • Moolenaar

    MI • R

    Sponsored 12/1/2025

  • McClain

    MI • R

    Sponsored 12/1/2025

  • Harder (CA)

    CA • D

    Sponsored 12/1/2025

  • Matsui

    CA • D

    Sponsored 12/9/2025

  • Moran

    TX • R

    Sponsored 12/12/2025

  • McDonald Rivet

    MI • D

    Sponsored 12/19/2025

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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