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Read. Follow. Verify.The Royalty Transparency Act (Proposed Amendment)
Record date · June 24, 2026
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What This Bill Does
This proposed amendment to the defense authorization bill would require federal employees and members of various government advisory committees to publicly disclose royalty payments received from inventions developed during their government service. It also mandates new oversight by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) regarding conflict-of-interest policies at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and requires federal agencies to include royalty reviews in their contractor vetting processes.
If enacted, this amendment would change the financial disclosure requirements for thousands of federal advisory committee members and executive branch employees, forcing the public disclosure of royalty income that is currently often shielded from public view.
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Federal advisory committee members
They would be required to file financial disclosure reports and publicly report royalty income from government-developed inventions.
Executive branch employees
They must disclose the source and amount of royalties received from inventions developed during their government employment.
National Institutes of Health
The agency is subject to new GAO oversight and reporting requirements regarding its conflict-of-interest and recusal processes.
Federal contractors and grantees
They will be subject to new conflict-of-interest reviews that specifically include an assessment of royalty payments received in the preceding year.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who would be required to disclose their royalty income under this act?
Can Members of Congress see these financial reports?
Does this apply to all NIH peer reviewers?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceFull breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Increased Congressional Oversight
The amendment significantly lowers the barrier for Congress to access executive branch financial disclosure reports by mandating a 30-day turnaround for unredacted copies.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.govinfo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance80How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
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