S. 1849 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the Senate, May 21, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryRequires campaigns to spend leftover election money
After a federal election, authorized campaign committees and leadership PACs (funds affiliated with politicians) must disburse all unused money within a set time period, unless the candidate runs for office again. First, they have to pay any debts from the campaign. Then, leftover funds can only go to two places: back to donors or to nonprofit organizations. The bill generally blocks payments to relatives of the candidate or nonprofits connected to the candidate. If a former candidate wants to register as a lobbyist or foreign agent, they must follow these disbursement rules first.
How it affects you
This mainly affects candidates and their campaign committees. For everyday voters and donors, the rule means leftover campaign funds can't pile up indefinitely or go to the candidate's family—money either returns to donors or goes to independent nonprofits. The bill targets a situation where candidates might use campaign cash for personal influence after leaving office.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, May 21, 2025)
Zeroing Out Money for Buying Influence after Elections (ZOMBIE) Act
This bill establishes certain requirements for disbursing unused funds after a federal election. The bill also requires former candidates serving as registered lobbyists or foreign agents to comply with disbursement requirements.
Specifically, the bill requires each authorized committee or leadership political action committee (PAC) of a candidate to disburse all unused funds within a specified time period beginning after an election or before the candidate registers as a lobbyist or foreign agent, unless the candidate files to run for office again before the disbursement period begins.
A committee or PAC disbursing unspent funds shall first pay any obligations incurred. If funds are left over, the committee or PAC may only disburse the remaining funds for the following purposes: (1) returning funds to donors; and (2) making contributions to nonprofit organizations. The bill generally prohibits disbursements to relatives of the candidate or certain nonprofit organizations related to the candidate.
A former candidate must, in order to register as a lobbyist or foreign agent, comply with the disbursement requirements outlined by this bill.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionS. 1849
A BILL
Zeroing Out Money for Buying Influence after Elections (ZOMBIE) Act
Sponsor: Sen. Michael F. Bennet (D-CO) · Introduced May 21, 2025 · Government Operations and Politics · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action May 21, 2025: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.”
Sections
Sections · 4
- Sec. 1Short titleNo change
- Sec. 2Requiring authorized committees of candidates to disburse unexpended fundsNo change
- Sec. 3Requiring former candidates serving as registered lobbyists to certify compliance with disbursement requirementsNo change
- Sec. 4Requiring former candidates serving as foreign agents to certify compliance with disbursement requirementsNo change