S 2550 United States Senate · 118th Congress

Denying Expenditures for False Accusations with Malicious Effect (DEFAME) Act

Summary
Denying Expenditures for False Accusations with Malicious Effect (DEFAME) Act This bill denies certain large corporations (i.e., corporations with gross income exceeding $10 billion in the preceding taxable year) a tax deduction for certain payments relating to defamation law suits, including the applicable defamation suit payment, attorneys' fees, and insurance premiums. The bill defines applicable defamation suit payment as any payment that (1) is made in connection with a defamation suit for which proof of actual malice is required to succeed on the merits, (2) is paid pursuant to a settlement or court order, and (3) exceeds $500 million in the aggregate.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jul 2023
Committee Review
Floor Vote
President
Introduced Jul 26, 2023 Last action Jul 26, 2023
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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
2
Key actions
0
Committee
1
Jul 26, 2023
Senate · Referred to committee
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Jul 26, 2023
Senate · Introduced
Introduced in Senate
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
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P
Photo of Sheldon Whitehouse
Sheldon Whitehouse
DDemocratic
RI
n/a