I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4977 

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prohibit the use of Federal 

funds to be used to pay an individual for influencing or attempting 

to influence an officer of employer of any agency, Member of Congress, 

an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of 

Congress, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 1, 2019 

Mr. PHILLIPS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Education and Labor 

A BILL 

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prohibit 

the use of Federal funds to be used to pay an individual 

for influencing or attempting to influence an officer of 

employer of any agency, Member of Congress, an officer 

or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member 

of Congress, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Higher Education 

5 Funds Integrity Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. CERTIFICATION REGARDING THE USE OF CERTAIN 

2 FEDERAL FUNDS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Part B of title I of the Higher 

4 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1011 et seq.) is amend5 ed by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 129. CERTIFICATION REGARDING THE USE OF CER7 TAIN FEDERAL FUNDS. 

8 ‘‘(a) PROHIBITION.—No Federal funds received 

9 under this Act by an institution of higher education or 

10 other postsecondary educational institution may be used 

11 to pay any person for influencing or attempting to influ12 ence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of 

13 Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an em14 ployee of a Member of Congress in connection with any 

15 Federal action described in subsection (b). 

16 ‘‘(b) APPLICABILITY.—The prohibition in subsection 

17 (a) applies with respect to the following Federal actions: 

18 ‘‘(1) The awarding of any Federal contract. 

19 ‘‘(2) The making of any Federal grant. 

20 ‘‘(3) The making of any Federal loan. 

21 ‘‘(4) The entering into of any Federal coopera22 tive agreement. 

23 ‘‘(5) The extension, continuation, renewal, 

24 amendment, or modification of any Federal contract, 

25 grant, loan, or cooperative agreement. 


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1 ‘‘(c) LOBBYING AND EARMARKS.—No Federal stu2 dent aid funding under this Act may be used to hire a 

3 registered lobbyist or pay any person or entity for securing 

4 an earmark. 

5 ‘‘(d) CERTIFICATION.—Each institution of higher 

6 education or other postsecondary educational institution 

7 receiving Federal funding under this Act, as a condition 

8 for receiving such funding, shall annually certify to the 

9 Secretary that the requirements of subsections (a) through 

10 (c) have been met. 

11 ‘‘(e) ACTIONS TO IMPLEMENT AND ENFORCE.—The 

12 Secretary shall take such actions as are necessary to en13 sure that the provisions of this section are implemented 

14 and enforced.’’. 

15 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 119 of the 

16 Higher Education Opportunity Act (20 U.S.C. 1011m) is 

17 repealed. 

Æ 


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