Reps. Goldman, Ciscomani Introduce Bipartisan Anti-Corruption Bill to Criminalize Public Officials Accepting ‘Tips’ for Official Actions

 

 

Washington, D.C – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) and Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06) today introduced the No Gratuities for Governing Act, a bipartisan bill that would close a dangerous loophole created by the Supreme Court’s 2024 Snyder v. U.S. case, which allows public officials to receive bribes in the form of ‘tips’ for their official actions as long as the benefit is received after the official action is made.  

 

“One year ago, the Supreme Court effectively legalized bribery, ruling that politicians can solicit a ‘tip’ for their official acts as long as they get paid after the fact,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. "Restoring faith in our democracy begins with confronting the corruption that has hollowed out the public trust and allowed power to be abused without consequence. If we want the American people to believe in their government again, we must hold ourselves—and one another—to a higher standard of integrity, transparency, and accountability. It is only through concrete action that we can begin to repair the broken social contract and prove that public service is still about serving the public. " 

 

Congressman Juan Ciscomani said, "Holding an elected office is a public trust and should never be a pathway for personal profit.. This bipartisan bill closes a dangerous loophole that allowed public officials to profit from their actions in office and ensures that they are held to a strong standard of transparency and accountability." 

 

The bill comes in response to the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision in Snyder v. United States, where the court threw out the conviction of an Indiana mayor who solicited and received a $13,000 bribe from a garbage truck company to whom he had previously awarded a $1 million contract. The Court’s conservative majority ruled that because there was no quid pro quo agreement before the official action, relevant bribery statutes did not apply to the $13,000 gift the mayor solicited from the contractor.  

 

The No Gratuities for Governance Act would recriminalize these gratuities to ensure elected officials cannot profit from the power their position grants them.  Specifically, the bill would: 

 

 

Congressman Goldman has made rooting out corruption and restoring the public’s faith in our governing institutions a primary focus of his time in office. 

 

Earlier this month, Goldman delivered the featured speech at New York Law School’s 199th CityLaw Breakfast titled, “Democracy on the Brink: Corruption and the Public Trust.” In a moment of historic political upheaval, Goldman issued a candid assessment of how public corruption and the erosion of guardrails and forms of accountability – on both sides of the political aisle and at every level of government – are threatening the very foundation of American democracy and the willingness of the public to buy into the American social contract.   

 

Last year, Congressman Goldman introduced the ‘Supreme Court Ethics and Investigations Act’ which would establish a dedicated investigative body within the Supreme Court that would provide transparency and accountability through exhaustive investigations into alleged ethical improprieties and reports to Congress on its findings. 

 

Last Congress, Goldman cosponsored the ‘Democracy For All Amendment,’ which would overturn legal precedents that have allowed unrestrained campaign spending and dark money to corrupt American democracy.