Economic Espionage Prevention Act
Current understanding
The Economic Espionage Prevention Act (HR1486) authorizes the President to impose visa- and property-blocking sanctions on foreign adversary entities that engage in economic espionage, materially support adversary national-security entities, or violate U.S. export controls. For companies handling data, the Act narrows longstanding IEEPA exemptions so that informational-materials and personal-communications carve-outs do not shield transfers of bulk U.S. sensitive personal data or connected-software source code to sanctioned foreign adversary entities. Status: introduced.
Evidence log
- 2025-03-10 — Disclose GIFT Act: cross-connection with disclose-gift-act: Both address foreign influence/espionage risk mitigation; Disclose GIFT Act targets academic foreign-gift transparency while EEPA addresses broader espionage prevention. (novelty: 3)
- 2026-07-20 — Stop PRC Economic Espionage Act of 2026: cross-connection with stop-prc-economic-espionage-act: Both target economic espionage; HR9789 is PRC-specific while the Economic Espionage Prevention Act provides the general framework — worth tracking overlap in authorities and data-handling obligations. (novelty: 3)
- 2026-07-16 — Stop PRC Economic Espionage Act of 2026: Companion/parallel Senate track: Stop PRC Economic Espionage Act of 2026 (S5024) was read twice and referred to Senate Judiciary, indicating continued congressional interest in economic-espionage legislation alongside HR1486. (novelty: 2)
- 2025-05-06 — Economic Espionage Prevention Act: cross-connection with ieepa-bulk-sensitive-personal-data-exemptions: The Economic Espionage Prevention Act is the legislative vehicle carrying the IEEPA exemption narrowing for bulk sensitive personal data and connected-software source code. (novelty: 3)