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H.R. 4277 116th Congress House

Department of Defense Ethics and Anti-corruption Act of 2019

Official title: To promote ethics and prevent corruption in Department of Defense contracting and other activities, and for other purposes.

Introduced: September 10, 2019 See on congress.gov
Armed Forces and National Security Accounting and auditingAdministrative remediesBusiness recordsCongressional oversight
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Corporate finance and managementDepartment of DefenseDepartment of StateDepartment of the TreasuryElections, voting, political campaign regulationExecutive Office of the PresidentFederal officialsFinancial services and investmentsFreedom of informationGovernment employee pay, benefits, personnel managementGovernment ethics and transparency, public corruptionGovernment information and archivesGovernment studies and investigationsIntelligence activities, surveillance, classified informationMilitary command and structureMilitary personnel and dependentsMilitary procurement, research, weapons developmentNuclear weaponsPersonnel recordsPublic contracts and procurementPublic participation and lobbyingSecuritiesWages and earnings
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This bill died when the 116th Congress ended
It never became law before the 116th Congress (2019–2020) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Sep 25, 2019
Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
Sep 10, 2019
Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, and Oversight and Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Sep 10, 2019
Introduced in House
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 Latest action September 25, 2019

Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Department of Defense Ethics and Anti-corruption Act of 2019

This bill addresses the conduct of Department of Defense (DOD) officials regarding relationships with military contractors.

With respect to certain DOD officials involved in contracting, the bill increases the following: (1) the period during which an official leaving DOD and seeking compensation from a contractor must obtain an ethics opinion concerning post-employment restrictions, (2) the length of time such requests must be retained in a central repository, and (3) the frequency of Inspector General reviews of providing and retaining opinions.

Each procurement contract of a value exceeding $10 million must require the contractor to annually report information (including concerning lobbying activities) about former officials and military officers who received compensation within four years after leaving service. Such a contract shall include a clause prohibiting the contractor from receiving the compensation.

Contracts with contractors that received an average of more than $1 billion in revenue in the previous three years from DOD or the Department of Energy (related to the U.S. nuclear program) shall prohibit the employment or payment of certain DOD officials within four years of leaving DOD service.

In addition, the bill includes restrictions and conditions concerning:

  • lobbying by former officials and officers;
  • stock ownership and trading;
  • employment that is subject to the emoluments clause of the Constitution;
  • work by certain senior officials for a foreign entity (including work that conflicts with U.S. national security interests);
  • financial disclosure by large prospective contractors; and
  • public disclosure of information regarding the identification of general or flag officers and their finances and conduct.
 Related & companion bills 1
  • S 1503 Department of Defense Ethics and Anti-corruption Act of 2019
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 4
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 4277: Department of Defense Ethics and Anti-corruption Act of 2019. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-4277/
MLA
"H.R. 4277: Department of Defense Ethics and Anti-corruption Act of 2019." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-4277/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 4277, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-4277/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 4277: Department of Defense Ethics and Anti-corruption Act of 2019](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-4277/)
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