Bill · H.R. 8637· House(119-HR-8637)
Release Your Taxes Act of 2026
- Introduced
- 4/30/2026
- Last activity
- 4/30/2026 — Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
- Sponsored by
- Haley Stevens
- Cosponsors
- None
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The "Release Your Taxes Act of 2026" requires Members of Congress and congressional candidates to disclose their federal income tax returns. These filings must be submitted to the Clerk of the House or the Secretary of the Senate. The appropriate congressional officials are tasked with creating a database for these filings and publishing them on a public website. Once a filing is received, it must be posted online within 5 business days. Individuals who are not required to file a tax return must instead submit a statement explaining why. This law applies to tax years beginning in 2025 or later.
Yes
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?+8
The bill mandates the public publication of congressional tax returns through a searchable online database.
The opposite
Does this protect people from being watched or searched?-7
The bill requires the disclosure of highly sensitive and private financial information to the general public.
Would high-income households be better off under this?-5
The requirement specifically targets high-earning political figures through the disclosure of their personal tax filings.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Public Transparency: The bill requires appropriate congressional officials to publish a database containing tax return filings on a website available to the general public (Section 2(b)(1) and Section 2(c)(1)).
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Accountability for Non-compliance: The names of individuals who fail to comply with the disclosure requirements will be promptly included on the public website (Section 2(e)(1)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
-
Public Disclosure of Private Financial Information: Members of Congress and congressional candidates must submit their tax return filings, such as Form 1040 and Schedule A, to be published on a public website (Section 2(a)(4) and Section 2(c)).
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Lasting Public Record of Non-compliance: Individuals who fail to comply with the requirements will have their names listed on the public website, and those names will not be removed until the individual complies or more than 6 years have passed since they were no longer a Member of Congress or a congressional candidate (Section 2(e)(1) and Section 2(e)(2)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For High Income Households-5
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+8Improves Privacy Rights-7
- 4/30/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
- Introduced in House