S. 2233 – Reading Mode

109th CONGRESS

2d Session

S. 2233

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

February 1, 2006

Mrs. Feinstein introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration

A BILL

To reform and improve the regulation of lobbying and congressional ethics.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Lobbyist Reform Act of 2006.

Two-year total ban on lobbying by Members of Congress and employees of Congress

Subsection (e) of section 207 of title 18, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:

(e)

Restrictions on Members of Congress and officers and employees of the legislative branch

(1)

In general

(A)

Prohibition

Any person who is a Member of Congress, an elected officer of either House of Congress, or an employee of a House of Congress and who, within 2 years after that person leaves office, knowingly makes, with the intent to influence, any communication to or appearance before any of the persons described in subparagraph (B), on behalf of any other person (except the United States) in connection with any matter on which such former Member of Congress or elected officer seeks action by a Member, officer, or employee of either House of Congress, in his or her official capacity, shall be punished as provided in section 216 of this title.

(B)

Contact persons covered

The persons referred to in subparagraph (A) with respect to appearances or communications are any Member, officer, or employee of either House of Congress, and any employee of any other legislative office of Congress.

(2)

Definitions

As used in this subsection—

(A)

a person is an employee of a House of Congress if that person is an employee of the Senate or an employee of the House of Representatives;

(B)

the term employee of the House of Representatives means an employee of a Member of the House of Representatives, an employee of a committee of the House of Representatives, an employee of a joint committee of Congress whose pay is disbursed by the Clerk of the House of Representatives, and an employee on the leadership staff of the House of Representatives;

(C)

the term employee of the Senate means an employee of a Senator, an employee of a committee of the Senate, an employee of a joint committee of Congress whose pay is disbursed by the Secretary of the Senate, and an employee on the leadership staff of the Senate;

(D)

the term Member of Congress means a Senator or a Member of the House of Representatives; and

(E)

the term Member of the House of Representatives means a Representative in, or a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, Congress.

Ban on gifts from lobbyists

Paragraph 1(a)(2) of rule XXXV of the Standing Rules of the Senate is amended by adding at the end the following: This clause shall not apply to a gift from a lobbyist..

Prohibition on privately funded travel

Paragraph 2(a)(1) of rule XXXV of the Standing Rules of the Senate is amended by striking an individual and inserting an organization recognized under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that is not affiliated with any group that lobbies before Congress.

Registered lobbyists prohibited from serving on authorized political committees

Subsection (d) of section 302 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 432(e)) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:

(6)

No political committee may be designated as an authorized committee if a person registered as a lobbyist under section 4 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 is formally affiliated with such committee.