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S. 5059 116th Congress Senate

PAST Act

Official title: A bill to amend chapter 22 of title 44, United States Code, to ensure Presidential records are preserved, duly created when non-official electronic messaging a… Show full official titleShow less

Official title: A bill to amend chapter 22 of title 44, United States Code, to ensure Presidential records are preserved, duly created when non-official electronic messaging accounts are used, and made available to the public and the next administration in a timely fashion to advance national security and accountability, and for other purposes.

Introduced: December 17, 2020 Introduced by: Christopher Murphy Democratic · Connecticut See on congress.gov
Government Operations and Politics Administrative law and regulatory proceduresComputer security and identity theftCongressional committeesCongressional oversight
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Congressional-executive branch relationsDigital mediaElections, voting, political campaign regulationFederal district courtsGovernment employee pay, benefits, personnel managementGovernment ethics and transparency, public corruptionGovernment information and archivesGovernment studies and investigationsHistorical and cultural resourcesJudicial review and appealsLibraries and archivesMilitary operations and strategyNational Archives and Records AdministrationPresidential administrationsPresidents and presidential powers, Vice PresidentsTelephone and wireless communication
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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 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Dec 17, 2020
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Dec 17, 2020
Introduced in Senate
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 Latest action December 17, 2020

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Promoting Accountability and Security in Transitions Act of 2020 or the PAST Act

This bill revises requirements for preservation of presidential records and requires that information be made available to the next administration in a timely fashion.

Specifically, the bill (1) requires the President to receive written guidance from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) before destroying any records, (2) prohibits White House staff from using nonofficial electronic messaging accounts that cannot be easily copied or forwarded to official accounts, (3) establishes consequences for former Presidents who destroy presidential records, (4) requires former Presidents to cover the cost of digitizing records for display in a presidential library, and (5) requires NARA to ensure that newly inaugurated Presidents are granted easy access to national security information.

 Related & companion bills 1
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 5059: PAST Act. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-5059/
MLA
"S. 5059: PAST Act." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-5059/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 5059, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-5059/.
Markdown link
[S. 5059: PAST Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-5059/)
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