United States 119th Congress Status: In Committee 1 D cosponsors

S 256 — Pardon Transparency and Accountability Act of 2025

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

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced January 25, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Prognosis

Stalled 16% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 D).

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

5 changes Share ↗

Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill requires the President to publish reasons for pardons and amends lobbying disclosure requirements related to executive clemency.

  • 2 U.S.C. 1602

    the formulation, modification, or adoption of Federal legislation (including legislative proposals); → the issuance of a grant of executive clemency, as defined in section 2 of the Pardon Transparency and Accountability Act of 2025, in the form of a pardon, commutation of sentence, reprieve, or remission of fine.

    This adds grants of executive clemency to the activities that require lobbying disclosure.

  • 2 U.S.C. 1602

    made to → except as provided in subparagraph (A)(v), made to

    This modifies the exception clause concerning communications made to covered officials to explicitly include executive clemency lobbying.

  • 2 U.S.C. 1602

    any individual who is employed or retained by a client for financial or other compensation for services that include not fewer than 1 lobbying contact relating to a potential grant of executive clemency, as defined in section 2 of the Pardon Transparency and Accountability Act of 2025, regardless of the percent of the services provided by the individual to that client that consist of lobbying activities.

    This adds new criteria for defining individuals engaged in lobbying for executive clemency.

  • 2 U.S.C. 1603

    Not later than 2 days after the date on which a lobbyist first makes a lobbying contact pertaining to a potential grant of executive clemency, as defined in section 2 of the Pardon Transparency and Accountability Act of 2025, or is employed or retained to make a lobbying contact pertaining to a potential grant of executive clemency, as so defined in that Act, whichever is earlier, such lobbyist (or the organization employing such lobbyist) shall register with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives in accordance with the requirements of this section, regardless of the total income or expenses related to such lobbying activities.

    This mandates registration timelines specifically for lobbyists involved in executive clemency discussions.

  • 2 U.S.C. 1604

    Not later than 2 days after a lobbying contact pertaining to a potential grant of executive clemency, as defined in section 2 of the Pardon Transparency and Accountability Act of 2025, each registrant shall file a report with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives containing the information described in subsection (b) relating to the lobbying contact pertaining to the potential grant of executive clemency.

    This requires additional reporting on lobbying contacts concerning executive clemency within a specified timeframe.

Action History

  1. Introduced in Senate

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

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 546 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (546)

546 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 546 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

public-safety civil-rights
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors S 256?
S 256 is sponsored by Blumenthal, Richard (Democratic).
What is the current status of S 256?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced January 25, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track S 256?
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Last checked for changes 2 months ago · updated continuously

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