Chairwoman Maloney Introduces Legislation to Strengthen the Presidential Records Act

Press Release

Today, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, introduced the Presidential Records Certification Act to require the President, Vice President, and covered White House staff to individually certify compliance with the Presidential Records Act (PRA) on an annual basis and upon leaving office.

"Former President Trump threatened our national security through his flagrant violations of the Presidential Records Act," said Chairwoman Maloney. "Even as we continue to investigate the full extent of this troubling conduct and the damage it has caused, it is clear that our law needs reform to prevent future abuses. The Presidential Records Certification Act is a commonsense step towards increasing accountability. Presidential records belong to the people, and those entrusted with serving at the highest levels of government owe it to the American people to preserve, and not conceal, the record of our shared history."

The Presidential Records Certification Act would:

Require the President, Vice President, and covered White House staff to certify compliance with record-keeping requirements on an annual basis and upon leaving office.

Require the Counsel to the President to collect and maintain these certifications.

Set civil penalties for willful violations of the certification requirement. These civil penalties are modeled after those for financial disclosure requirements pursuant to the Ethics in Government Act, which also apply to the President and Vice President.

The Oversight Committee has primary jurisdiction over the PRA. This legislation is informed by the Committee's ongoing investigation into former President Trump's removal of presidential records and highly sensitive classified material from the White House as his term as President ended.

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