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Foundation of the Federal Bar Association Charter Amendments Act of 2025

Public Law 119-57 · S. 616 · 119th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Dec 12, 2025 · Law

Sponsor: Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA)

Cosponsors (1): Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse

Passage votes

  • HouseVoice vote
  • SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

This act revises the federal charter for the Foundation of the Federal Bar Association to shift authority from the charter to the bylaws.

Specifically, it makes the following changes:

• removes the requirement for the foundation to be incorporated and domiciled in the District of Columbia;

• requires the board of directors to decide, and specify in the bylaws, the location of the principal office;

• specifies that the bylaws—not the charter—must provide for the terms of membership, the responsibilities of the board of directors, and the election of officers;

• prohibits a director or officer, in his or her corporate capacity, from contributing to, supporting, or participating in political activities;

• allows income and assets of the corporation to be used to reasonably compensate or reimburse expenses of an officer, director, or member; to award a grant to the Federal Bar Association chapter of an officer, director, or member; and to reasonably compensate employees;

• expands a prohibition on loans for directors and officers to include members and employees; and

• specifies that on dissolution or final liquidation, any remaining assets must be distributed as provided by the board of directors instead of deposited in the Treasury.

Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

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Related bills

The record lists no related bills.

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 15 actions.

  1. Dec 12, 2025Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 119-57.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Dec 10, 2025FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Dec 1, 2025FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  5. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
  6. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 616.
  7. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  8. FloorFloor · Mr. McClintock moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
  9. May 5, 2025FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
  10. FloorFloor · Received in the House.
  11. May 1, 2025FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  12. Apr 30, 2025FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  13. CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on the Judiciary discharged by Unanimous Consent.
  14. Feb 18, 2025CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  15. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

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Amendments

No amendments to this bill are on record.

Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.