Close the Revolving Door Act of 2015

Summary: Close the Revolving Door Act of 2015 This bill amends the federal criminal code to impose a lifetime ban on any former Senator, Member of the House of Representatives, or elected officer of the Senate or House of Representatives lobbying any current Member, officer, or employee of Congress or any employee of any other legislative office. (Currently the ban is for two years after a Senator leaves office and one year after a Member of the House of Representatives leaves office). The ban is extended from one to six years for officers and employees of the Senate, personal staff of Members, committee staff, leadership staff, and other legislative offices. A registered lobbyist or agent of a foreign principal may not be hired for a six-year period by a Member of Congress or a congressional committee with which the lobbyist or agent has had a substantial lobbying contact.  This bill also amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to:   direct the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives to maintain a joint lobbyist disclosure Internet database for information required to be publicly disclosed by that Act,  require a substantial lobbying entity to file with Congress a list of each employee of, contractor with, or paid consultant to the substantial lobbying entity and who is a former Member of Congress or another highly-paid covered legislative branch official, and  increase the civil penalty for violations of the disclosure or reporting requirements of such Act.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Close the Revolving Door Act of 
2015''.

SEC. 2. LIFETIME BAN ON MEMBERS OF CONGRESS FROM LOBBYING.

    (a) In General.--Section 207(e)(1) of title 18, United States Code, 
is amended to read as follows:
            ``(1) Members of congress.--Any person who is a Senator, a 
        Member of the House of Representatives, or an elected officer 
        of the Senate or the House of Representatives and who, after 
        that person leaves office, knowingly makes, with the intent to 
        influence, any communication to or appearance before any 
        Member, officer, or employee of either House of Congress or any 
        employee of any other legislative office of the Congress, on 
        behalf of any other person (except the United States) in 
        connection with any matter on which such former Senator, 
        Member, or elected official 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) Conforming Amendment.--Section 207(e)(2) of title 18, United 
States Code, is amended--
            (1) in the heading, by striking ``Officers and staff'' and 
        inserting ``Staff'';
            (2) by striking ``an elected officer of the Senate, or'';
            (3) by striking ``leaves office or employment'' and 
        inserting ``leaves employment''; and
            (4) by striking ``former elected officer or''.

SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL STAFF.

    Paragraphs (2), (3)(A), (4), (5)(A), and (6)(A) of section 207(e) 
of title 18, United States Code, are each amended by striking ``1 
year'' and inserting ``6 years''.

SEC. 4. IMPROVED REPORTING OF LOBBYISTS' ACTIVITIES.

    Section 6 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1605) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(c) Joint Web Site.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary of the Senate and the 
        Clerk of the House of Representatives shall maintain a joint 
        lobbyist disclosure Internet database for information required 
        to be publicly disclosed under this Act which shall be an 
        easily searchable Web site called lobbyists.gov with a stated 
        goal of simplicity of usage.
            ``(2) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $100,000 for 
        fiscal year 2016.''.

SEC. 5. LOBBYIST REVOLVING DOOR TO CONGRESS.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section--
            (1) the term ``foreign principal'' has the meaning given 
        that term under section 1(b) of the Foreign Agents Registration 
        Act of 1938 (22 U.S.C. 611(b));
            (2) the terms ``lobbyist'' and ``lobbying contact'' have 
        the meanings given such terms under section 3 of the Lobbying 
        Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1603); and
            (3) the term ``registered lobbyist'' means a lobbyist 
        registered under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 
        1601 et seq.).
    (b) Prohibition.--Any person who is a registered lobbyist or an 
agent of a foreign principal may not, within 6 years after that person 
leaves such position, be hired by a Member or committee of either House 
of Congress with whom the registered lobbyist or agent of a foreign 
principal has had substantial lobbying contact.
    (c) Waiver.--This section may be waived in the Senate or the House 
of Representatives by the Select Committee on Ethics of the Senate or 
the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct of the House of 
Representatives, respectively, based on a compelling national need.
    (d) Substantial Lobbying Contact.--For purposes of this section, in 
determining whether a registered lobbyist or agent of a foreign 
principal has had substantial lobbying contact within the applicable 
period of time, a Member or committee of either House of Congress shall 
take into consideration whether the individual's lobbying contacts have 
pertained to pending legislative business, or related to solicitation 
of an earmark or other Federal funding, particularly if such contacts 
included the coordination of meetings with the Member or committee, 
involved presentations to employees of the Member or committee, or 
participation in fundraising (except for the mere giving of a personal 
contribution). Simple social contacts with the Member or committee of 
either House of Congress and staff, shall not by themselves constitute 
substantial lobbying contacts.

SEC. 6. REPORTING BY SUBSTANTIAL LOBBYING ENTITIES.

    The Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) is 
amended by inserting after section 6 the following:

``SEC. 6A. REPORTING BY SUBSTANTIAL LOBBYING ENTITIES.

    ``(a) In General.--A substantial lobbying entity shall file on an 
annual basis with the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the 
Secretary of the Senate a list of each employee of, individual under 
contract with, or individual who provides paid consulting services to 
the substantial lobbying entity who is--
            ``(1) a former Senator or a former Member of the House of 
        Representatives; or
            ``(2) another covered legislative branch official who--
                    ``(A) was paid not less than $100,000 in any 1 year 
                as a covered legislative branch official;
                    ``(B) worked for a total of not less than 4 years 
                as a covered legislative branch official; or
                    ``(C) had a job title at any time while employed as 
                a covered legislative branch official that contained 
                any of the following terms: `Chief of Staff', 
                `Legislative Director', `Staff Director', `Counsel', 
                `Professional Staff Member', `Communications Director', 
                or `Press Secretary'.
    ``(b) Contents of Filing.--The filing required under this section 
shall contain a brief job description of each individual described in 
subsection (a) and an explanation of their work experience under 
subsection (a) that requires this filing.
    ``(c) Improved Reporting of Substantial Lobbying Entities.--The 
Joint Web site being maintained by the Secretary of the Senate and the 
Clerk of the House of Representatives, known as lobbyists.gov, shall 
include an easily searchable database entitled `Substantial Lobbying 
Entities' that includes information on all individuals described in 
subsection (a).
    ``(d) Law Enforcement Oversight.--The Clerk of the House of 
Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate shall provide a copy of 
each filing under subsection (a) to the United States Attorney for the 
District of Columbia, to allow the United States Attorney for the 
District of Columbia to determine whether a substantial lobbying entity 
is underreporting the lobbying activities of its employees, individuals 
under contract, or individuals who provide paid consulting services.
    ``(e) Substantial Lobbying Entity.--In this section, the term 
`substantial lobbying entity' means an incorporated entity that employs 
more than 3 registered lobbyists during a filing period.''.

SEC. 7. ENHANCED PENALTIES.

    Section 7(a) of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 
1606(a)) is amended by striking ``$200,000'' and inserting 
``$500,000''.