No CORRUPTION Act

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 932.

Passed with unanimous consent by the Senate, S. 932 will close loopholes and tighten an already existing prohibition on Members collecting retirement benefits that were accrued during their time in Congress if they are convicted of a crime of public corruption committed during congressional service.

Currently, convicted former Members can continue to collect their government pension while going through the judicial appeals process.

This bill ends that practice.

Public service is often referred to as a ``higher calling,'' and there is no greater professional privilege than to be elected to this body. By sending us here, our constituents place an enormous amount of trust in us, and it is our obligation to reward that trust by carrying out our constitutional responsibilities to them with honor and integrity.

That is the contract we agree to when we ask for someone's vote and they give it to us. That compact is the keystone of a legitimate government. It is what separates a democracy from a kleptocracy.

The overwhelming majority of our colleagues who serve do so with integrity. They are here for the right reasons. They honor the oath we all swear. They use the powers of the office to further the interests of their constituents, not to unjustly enrich themselves.

For those who don't, we must send a clear and unequivocal message that corruption will not be tolerated. For the sake of the country, it cannot be tolerated, and this bill sends that message.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Norman), my friend, for his leadership on this as well as all my colleagues. I certainly thank the chair for his bipartisan work on this.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I again thank my friend, Mr. Norman, for doing this. I think most people watching this would find it hard to believe this wasn't already the law of the United States, but we are going to do that. I thank him for his leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I will simply say that this is important in building and rebuilding the trust that Americans, in some cases, have lost in this institution. I am grateful for this.

I thank my colleague and dear friend, the chairman of this committee, for bringing the bill forward. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 932) to amend title 5, United States Code, to provide for the halt in pension payments for Members of Congress sentenced for certain offenses, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and submit extraneous material on the bill, S. 932, the No CORRUPTION Act.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, this measure will halt annuity payments for Members of Congress sentenced for public corruption charges. This includes charges of bribery of public officials and witnesses, acting as an agent of a foreign principal, or engaging in conspiracy to commit an offense to defraud the United States.

Under current law, a Member of Congress who is convicted on public corruption charges is prohibited from receiving their congressional pension. That said, Members may continue receiving pension payments while appealing their conviction.

The No CORRUPTION Act addresses this gap and will withhold pension payments immediately upon conviction. If the conviction is overturned on appeal, the pension will be restored. The Member will be able to receive any benefits withheld.

This is a commonsense measure for the House to consider and pass.

Let's be clear: A Member of Congress convicted of public corruption charges should not be paid at taxpayer expense. The bipartisan measure was introduced by Senators Rick Scott and Jacky Rosen and passed the Senate this summer. I am pleased to bring the measure forward to ensure accountability for Members of Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of S. 932, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Norman) to speak on the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from South Carolina.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague, Mr. Norman, for his work on this commonsense legislation. It is good to see, in the home stretch of the year, that we are still able to get some commonsense legislation across the floor of the House and, hopefully, signed into law in the near future, as this bill already passed the Senate.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Steil and Congressman Morelle for leading the charge on this.

Like many things, the public does not know the dollars that are going to politicians who corrupt the system, game the system, and then get paid for it, as Congressman Steil and Congressman Morelle mentioned.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Senate companion to my legislation, the No CORRUPTION Act. This legislation gives us an opportunity to rectify the abuse of taxpayer dollars.

Under current law, Members of Congress who have been convicted of various crimes related to public corruption remain eligible to receive a taxpayer-funded pension until all avenues have been exhausted. This can take years, and it has taken years. Even if the appeal is unsuccessful, there is no clawback on the funds that have been wrongly paid. It is in the hands of the politician who violated their oath when they came to Congress.

The No CORRUPTION Act fixes that loophole by immediately stripping a Member's pension upon initial conviction rather than final conviction. If an appeal was successful, the money halted by this legislation would be paid back fully so the Member is not out the money.

With this simple reform, taxpayer money is not given to criminals, and the interest of taxpayers is balanced with the rights of the accused.

Americans would be outraged if they knew about the various perks that former Members of Congress, many who have been in the news recently, receive. Pension payments to those who have been convicted of a crime is yet another example of wasteful spending that needs to be terminated, and it needs to be terminated now.

It is time for Members of Congress to start acting like everyday Americans, not elite politicians sheltered by their own rules.

Those who serve in Congress--and it is such an honor to serve in this body--should be held to the highest of standards in order to instill trust and confidence in our government. Anyone who does not measure up should not receive a taxpayer-funded pension, which for some Members can surpass $70,000 per year.

The Speaker pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Senators Jacky Rosen and Rick Scott for their bipartisan work in getting this legislation passed by unanimous consent in the Senate, and I urge my colleagues to do the same and pass it.

Madam President, I have seven requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority Leaders.

Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a) of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 83, S. 932.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.