Representative Mike Levin introduced H.R. 11003 on November 11, 2026. Congress.gov lists the bill as introduced and referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary that day. It is not law. The pardon power in the Constitution is unchanged.

Where the bill stands

The short title is the Abuse of the Pardon Prevention Act of 2026. The official title is "To provide increased oversight of certain pardons, to clarify the applicability of bribery prohibitions to pardons and commutations, and for other purposes." The introduced text on GovInfo says Mr. Levin introduced it for himself, Mr. Landsman, Mr. Bell, Ms. McCollum, Mr. Huffman, Ms. Ansari, Mr. Lynch, Ms. DelBene, Ms. Brownley, Ms. Norton, Mr. Costa, Mr. Amo, and Mr. Carson. Read the bill (PDF).

As of November 13, 2026, the Congress.gov tracker shows that referral and does not show a hearing, a committee report, or a vote. A bill does not change the law until it passes both houses in the same form and is signed, or otherwise becomes law.

For this bill, section 2 defines "pardon" to include a commutation of sentence. The sections below use that word in the bill's sense.

Which pardons the oversight sections cover

Sections 3 and 4 apply when the President grants a pardon for a "covered offense." Section 2 defines that term as:

  • An offense against the United States that arises from an investigation in which the target or subject is the President, a relative of the President, a former President, a person who is serving or has served as a political appointee under the President, or an employee of an authorized committee of the President for any election to the office of President.
  • An offense motivated by a direct and significant personal or pecuniary interest of any of those people.
  • An offense under section 102 of the Revised Statutes (2 U.S.C. § 192).
  • An offense under 18 U.S.C. § 1001, § 1505, § 1512, or § 1621, if it occurred in relation to a congressional proceeding or investigation.

"Relative" has the meaning in 5 U.S.C. § 3110(a) and also includes the spouse of a person described there. "Political appointee" is defined in section 2. It does not include a career employee or a member of the Foreign Service.

Inspector General review

Section 3 says that if the President grants a pardon for a covered offense, the Inspector General of the Department of Justice shall begin an investigation as soon as practicable after the pardon. The question for that investigation is whether granting the pardon presents a conflict of interest or the appearance of one.

Within 30 days after the pardon, the Attorney General would have to give the Inspector General the prosecution team's materials on the offense, materials from any investigative agency on that offense, and Department of Justice materials on the pardon. The President would have to give the Inspector General the materials produced in the Executive Office of the President on the pardon. If the Attorney General or the President fails or refuses, the Inspector General would report that failure to Congress within 10 days, with a list of what was not submitted.

The Inspector General would submit a report of the findings to Congress and publish it. The report to Congress would be unclassified and may contain a classified annex.

What would go to Congress

Section 4 sets a separate 30-day deadline for the same kind of materials. The Attorney General and the President would send them to the chairs and ranking members of the "appropriate congressional committees." Section 2 defines that term as the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, and, if the investigation relates to intelligence or counterintelligence, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

Sections 3 and 4 each say that Rule 6(e) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure may not be construed to prohibit the disclosures that section requires.

Bribery statute

Section 5 would amend 18 U.S.C. § 201, the bribery statute. The bill would insert ", including the President and the Vice President of the United States," after "or an officer or employee or person" in the definition of "public official." It would also treat an apparent successful candidate for President or Vice President, who has not yet assumed the office, as a "person who has been selected to be a public official." The bill points to section 3(c) of the Presidential Transition Act of 1963 for who counts as an apparent successful candidate.

In the definition of "official act," the bill would add ", including any pardon, commutation, or reprieve, or an offer of any such pardon, commutation, or reprieve." In subsection (b)(3), the bill would insert this parenthetical after "corruptly gives, offers, or promises anything of value": "(including, for purposes of this paragraph, any pardon, commutation, or reprieve, or offer any such pardon, commutation, or reprieve)."

A pardon granted to oneself

Section 6 says: "The President's grant of a pardon to himself or herself is void and of no effect, and shall not deprive the courts of jurisdiction, or operate to confer on the President any legal immunity from investigation or prosecution."

That sentence is in the bill. It is not a rule in force today. Article II, section 2 still states the pardon power: reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment. Section 8 of the bill says that if a court holds one provision unconstitutional, the rest of the act remains.

Gifts and a public report

Section 7 is separate from the covered-offense rules. A "covered individual" is a person granted a pardon on or after the date of enactment. If that person gave a "gift" to the President who granted the pardon during the 365 days before the pardon, the person would file a financial disclosure report with the Director of the Office of Government Ethics within 30 days after the pardon. A gift given on or after the pardon date would be reported by May 15 of each year during the five years after the pardon. The report would list the date, a description, and the value of each gift.

The bill's definition of "gift" starts from the gift rules in 5 C.F.R. § 2635.203 as in effect on the date of enactment. It also includes a contribution to an authorized committee of the President, a contribution or transfer for a presidential library, and a contribution or transfer for a White House construction or renovation entity. The bill defines those last two terms in section 7.

The Director would open an online portal for the reports within 180 days after enactment. Until that portal exists, reports would go in the form the Director requires. The Director would publish each report on the Office of Government Ethics website within 15 days after it is submitted.

What does not change yet

28 C.F.R. part 1 still describes how a person asks the Department of Justice to consider a pardon or a commutation. H.R. 11003 does not amend those rules. How a commutation petition is filed and how a pardon request moves describe that process. A different Senate bill, S. 5687, would write petition steps into the U.S. Code. That bill is a separate proposal.

This page is general information. It does not say whether the President will grant clemency in any case, or how a court would read H.R. 11003 if it became law.