Federal prosecutors have been able to indict corporations and their employees for foreign bribery since 1977, but on the flip side there is no U.S. law that allows prosecutors to go after foreign officials who solicit those bribes.

That may be changing. Last week a bipartisan group introduced a bill in the House of Representatives that would allow U.S. prosecutors to indict foreign officials who demand or accept bribes in return for fulfilling, ignoring or violating their official duties.