1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Stock Buyback Reform and Worker Dividend Act of 2019 . 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) Over the last several decades— (A) the volume and value of stock buybacks have increased significantly, with particularly large increases occurring in the 15 years preceding the date of enactment of this Act; and (B) the wealth gap in the United States has widened drastically, as corporate profits and executive compensation have skyrocketed, but, for workers, salaries and wages have barely increased and purchasing power has remained the same. (2) Between 2004 and 2013, some of the largest companies in the United States spent at least 100 percent of their net income on stock buybacks and, between 2010 and 2017, companies in the United States spent more than $3,000,000,000,000 on those buybacks. After the enactment of changes to the tax laws of the United States in December 2017, companies in the United States further increased stock buyback activity. (3) In 2018— (A) companies listed in the S&P 500 index spent $806,400,000,000 purchasing their own stock, an amount that is 55 percent higher than in 2017 and 36 percent higher than in 2007, the year that— (i) had previously held the record for the largest total buyback amount; and (ii) marked the beginning of the most significant financial crisis since the Great Depression