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S 2550 118th Congress Senate Taxation

Denying Expenditures for False Accusations with Malicious Effect (DEFAME) Act

Introduced: July 26, 2023 Introduced by: Whitehouse, Sheldon Democratic · Rhode Island See on congress.gov
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This bill died when the 118th Congress ended
It never became law before the 118th Congress (2023–2024) 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
Jul 26, 2023
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Jul 26, 2023
Introduced in Senate
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Denying Expenditures for False Accusations with Malicious Effect (DEFAME) Act

This bill denies certain large corporations (i.e., corporations with gross income exceeding $10 billion in the preceding taxable year) a tax deduction for certain payments relating to defamation law suits, including the applicable defamation suit payment, attorneys' fees, and insurance premiums. The bill defines applicable defamation suit payment as any payment that (1) is made in connection with a defamation suit for which proof of actual malice is required to succeed on the merits, (2) is paid pursuant to a settlement or court order, and (3) exceeds $500 million in the aggregate.

What's happening now July 26, 2023

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 2550: Denying Expenditures for False Accusations with Malicious Effect (DEFAME) Act. 118th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/118-S-2550/
MLA
"S. 2550: Denying Expenditures for False Accusations with Malicious Effect (DEFAME) Act." 118th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/118-S-2550/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 2550, 118th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/118-S-2550/.
Markdown link
[S. 2550: Denying Expenditures for False Accusations with Malicious Effect (DEFAME) Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/118-S-2550/)
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