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Curtailing Executive Overcompensation (CEO) Act

USA119th CongressS-5011| Senate 
| Updated: 7/16/2026
Sheldon Whitehouse

Sheldon Whitehouse

Democratic Senator

Rhode Island

Cosponsors (5)
Elizabeth Warren (Democratic)Chris Van Hollen (Democratic)Tammy Baldwin (Democratic)Peter Welch (Democratic)Jeff Merkley (Democratic)

Finance Committee

  • Introduced
  • In Committee
  • On Floor
  • Passed Chamber
  • Enacted
This legislative proposal introduces a new excise tax on certain large employers exhibiting significant pay disparities between their highest-compensated employee and their median worker. The tax aims to address what it defines as excessive executive pay relative to the broader workforce by amending the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. An applicable employer must have at least $100 million in gross receipts and $10 million in total wages for each of the three preceding years. The tax is triggered if the employer's pay disparity ratio —the ratio of the highest-paid employee's average qualified wages over five years to the median wages of all employees earning over $5,000—exceeds 50:1. The tax amount is calculated as 1% of a formula involving this disparity or 1% of the employer's gross receipts, whichever is less. The bill includes provisions for inflation adjustments to financial thresholds and mandates that the Secretary of the Treasury issue regulations to prevent avoidance of the tax. This excise tax is explicitly made non-deductible from income taxes and will apply to taxable years beginning after the Act's enactment.
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Timeline

Bill from Previous Congress

S 118-3176
Curtailing Executive Overcompensation (CEO) Act
Jul 16, 2026
Introduced in Senate
Jul 16, 2026
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
  • Bill from Previous Congress

    S 118-3176
    Curtailing Executive Overcompensation (CEO) Act


  • July 16, 2026
    Introduced in Senate


  • July 16, 2026
    Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Curtailing Executive Overcompensation (CEO) Act

USA119th CongressS-5011| Senate 
| Updated: 7/16/2026
This legislative proposal introduces a new excise tax on certain large employers exhibiting significant pay disparities between their highest-compensated employee and their median worker. The tax aims to address what it defines as excessive executive pay relative to the broader workforce by amending the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. An applicable employer must have at least $100 million in gross receipts and $10 million in total wages for each of the three preceding years. The tax is triggered if the employer's pay disparity ratio —the ratio of the highest-paid employee's average qualified wages over five years to the median wages of all employees earning over $5,000—exceeds 50:1. The tax amount is calculated as 1% of a formula involving this disparity or 1% of the employer's gross receipts, whichever is less. The bill includes provisions for inflation adjustments to financial thresholds and mandates that the Secretary of the Treasury issue regulations to prevent avoidance of the tax. This excise tax is explicitly made non-deductible from income taxes and will apply to taxable years beginning after the Act's enactment.
View Full Text

Suggested Questions

Get AI-generated questions to help you understand this bill better

Timeline

Bill from Previous Congress

S 118-3176
Curtailing Executive Overcompensation (CEO) Act
Jul 16, 2026
Introduced in Senate
Jul 16, 2026
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
  • Bill from Previous Congress

    S 118-3176
    Curtailing Executive Overcompensation (CEO) Act


  • July 16, 2026
    Introduced in Senate


  • July 16, 2026
    Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Sheldon Whitehouse

Sheldon Whitehouse

Democratic Senator

Rhode Island

Cosponsors (5)
Elizabeth Warren (Democratic)Chris Van Hollen (Democratic)Tammy Baldwin (Democratic)Peter Welch (Democratic)Jeff Merkley (Democratic)

Finance Committee

  • Introduced
  • In Committee
  • On Floor
  • Passed Chamber
  • Enacted