This bill creates an Office of the Chief Economist inside the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The office will be led by a Chief Economist who serves as an economic advisor to the Commission. The bill lists functions for the Chief Economist such as economic analysis, regulatory cost-benefit analysis, and research.
The bill lets the Commission appoint professional staff to serve the Office. It allows appointments to be made in accordance with the excepted service rules and without regard to competitive service appointment rules, while also stating that appointing someone under this authority does not convert the position from the competitive service to the excepted service. Covered staff roles include economists, research analysts, data specialists, and positions requiring specialized knowledge of futures, swaps, commodities markets, financial market formation or regulation, market structures or surveillance, data collection or analysis, or information technology.
The bill also makes conforming changes to an existing section of the Commodity Exchange Act to add coordination with the Office of the Chief Economist, broaden a reference from "futures markets" to "markets under the jurisdiction of the Commission," and add consideration of market liquidity.
The bill was introduced February 11, 2026, and was referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development. Sponsors listed are Robert Bresnahan, April McClain Delaney, and Michael Lawler.
No publicly available information on funding or cost estimates is included in the bill text.
No publicly available information.
No publicly available information.