H.R. 10558: Clearer Liability Expenditure and Access to Reporting Act of 2026

This bill would require the Treasury Department to publish more detailed public information about payments made from the federal Judgment Fund, which is the account used to pay certain court judgments and settlements against the federal government.

What would be reported online

For each payment made from the Judgment Fund, Treasury would have to post information on a website within 30 days, unless another law or a court order blocks disclosure. The posted information would include:

• The federal agency or entity whose actions led to the claim or judgment
• The name of the plaintiff or claimant
• The name of the plaintiff’s or claimant’s lawyer
• The amount paid for the underlying claim, plus any related attorney fees, costs, and interest
• A brief description of the facts that led to the claim
• The agency that submitted the claim

Additional reporting and search features

The website would also have to keep monthly totals showing:

• How many payments were made each month
• How many of those were settlements

These records would need to be searchable by:

• Agency or entity involved
• Plaintiff or claimant
• Counsel, including the lawyer’s firm or office

The monthly totals would also need to be broken down by amount paid for:

• Payments, including settlements
• Attorney’s fees
• Court costs
• Interest

Review of “sue-and-settle” activity

The bill would direct the Comptroller General, who leads the Government Accountability Office, to review settlements covered by the law and send Congress an annual report on the use of so-called “sue-and-settle” tactics. The report would identify:

• Which federal agencies use these tactics most often
• Average settlement amounts tied to them
• Common patterns and trends
• Any other information the Comptroller General thinks is useful

The bill defines “sue-and-settle tactics” broadly as situations where a federal entity, during litigation or threatened litigation, settles or agrees to change or drop a policy, regulation, rule, contract, or enforcement action.

Privacy protection

The bill says the identity of any person who provides information about a Judgment Fund payment may not be disclosed.

Relevant Companies

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