I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 507 

To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit former Members and 

elected officers of Congress from lobbying Congress at any time after 

leaving office, to prohibit the use of funds for official travel expenses 

of Members of Congress and legislative branch employees for airline 

accommodations other than coach class, to reduce the pay of Members 

of the House of Representatives if a Speaker is not elected on the 

first day of a Congress, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 25, 2023 

Ms. CRAIG introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Ethics, Rules, and Oversight and Accountability, for a period to be 

subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 

of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit former 

Members and elected officers of Congress from lobbying 

Congress at any time after leaving office, to prohibit 

the use of funds for official travel expenses of Members 

of Congress and legislative branch employees for airline 

accommodations other than coach class, to reduce the 

pay of Members of the House of Representatives if a 

Speaker is not elected on the first day of a Congress, 

and for other purposes. 


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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 ‘‘Halt Unchecked Mem5 ber Benefits with Lobbying Elimination Act’’ or the 

6 ‘‘HUMBLE Act’’. 

7 SEC. 2. PROHIBITING FORMER MEMBERS AND OFFICERS 

8 OF CONGRESS FROM LOBBYING CONGRESS. 

9 (a) PROHIBITION.—Section 207(e)(1) of title 18, 

10 United States Code, is amended to read as follows: 

11 ‘‘(1) MEMBERS AND ELECTED OFFICERS OF

12 CONGRESS.—Any person who is a Senator, a Mem13 ber of the House of Representatives, or an elected 

14 officer of the Senate or the House of Representa15 tives and who, after that person leaves office, know16 ingly makes, with the intent to influence, any com17 munication to or appearance before any Member, of18 ficer, or employee of either House of Congress or 

19 any employee of any other legislative office of the 

20 Congress, on behalf of any other person (except the 

21 United States) in connection with any matter on 

22 which such former Senator, Member, or elected offi23 cial seeks action by a Member, officer, or employee 

24 of either House of Congress, in his or her official caVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:46 Mar 23, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H507.IH H507

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1 pacity, shall be punished as provided in section 216 

2 of this title.’’. 

3 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 207(e)(2) 

4 of such title is amended— 

5 (1) in the heading, by striking ‘‘OFFICERS AND

6 STAFF’’ and inserting ‘‘STAFF’’; 

7 (2) by striking ‘‘an elected officer of the Senate, 

8 or’’; 

9 (3) by striking ‘‘leaves office or employment’’ 

10 and inserting ‘‘leaves employment’’; and 

11 (4) by striking ‘‘former elected officer or’’. 

12 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

13 this section shall apply with respect to an individual who 

14 leaves office on or after the date of the enactment of this 

15 Act. 

16 SEC. 3. PROHIBITING USE OF FUNDS FOR OFFICIAL TRAV17 EL EXPENSES OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS 

18 AND LEGISLATIVE BRANCH EMPLOYEES FOR 

19 AIRLINE ACCOMMODATIONS OTHER THAN 

20 COACH CLASS. 

21 (a) PROHIBITION.—Except as provided in subsection 

22 (b), no funds appropriated or otherwise made available for 

23 the official travel expenses of a Member of Congress or 

24 other officer or employee of any office in the legislative 


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1 branch may be used for airline accommodations which are 

2 not coach-class accommodations. 

3 (b) EXCEPTIONS.—Funds described in subsection (a) 

4 may be used for airline accommodations which are not 

5 coach-class accommodations for an individual described in 

6 subsection (a) if the use of the funds for such accommoda7 tions would be permitted under sections 301–10.121 

8 through 301–10.125 of title 41 of the Code of Federal 

9 Regulations if the individual were an employee of an agen10 cy which is subject to chapter 301 of such title. 

11 (c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this Act 

12 may be construed to affect any officer or employee of an 

13 office of the legislative branch which, as of the date of 

14 the enactment of this Act, is subject to chapter 301 of 

15 title 41 of the Code of Federal Regulations. 

16 (d) DEFINITIONS.— 

17 (1) COACH-CLASS ACCOMMODATIONS.—In this 

18 Act, the term ‘‘coach-class accommodations’’ means 

19 the basic class of accommodation by airlines that is 

20 normally the lowest fare offered regardless of airline 

21 terminology used, and (as referred to by airlines) 

22 may include tourist class or economy class, as well 

23 as single class when the airline offers only one class 

24 of accommodations to all travelers. 


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1 (2) MEMBER OF CONGRESS.—In this Act, the 

2 term ‘‘Member of Congress’’ means a Senator or a 

3 Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Commis4 sioner to, the Congress. 

5 (e) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall apply with 

6 respect to fiscal year 2024 and each succeeding fiscal year. 

7 SEC. 4. BENEFITS AND SERVICES PROVIDED TO FORMER 

8 MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTA9 TIVES. 

10 (a) BENEFITS AND SERVICES DESCRIBED.—The 

11 House of Representatives may not make any of the fol12 lowing benefits and services available to an individual who 

13 becomes a former Member of the House (except to the 

14 extent such benefits and services are made available to 

15 members of the public): 

16 (1) Access to the Hall of the House. 

17 (2) Access to athletic facilities and other facili18 ties available for the use of Members of the House. 

19 (3) Access to the Members’ Dining Room lo20 cated in the House of Representatives wing of the 

21 United States Capitol. 

22 (4) Access to parking spaces. 

23 (5) Access to material from the House docu24 ment room. 


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1 (6) Use of the collections in the House Legisla2 tive Resource Center without borrowing privileges. 

3 (b) WAIVER AUTHORITY.— 

4 (1) AUTHORITY TO WAIVE ELIMINATION OF

5 BENEFIT OR SERVICE.—The Speaker and the minor6 ity leader of the House of Representatives may joint7 ly, on a case-by-case basis, grant a waiver of sub8 section (a) with respect to a former Member of the 

9 House and a benefit or service described in such 

10 subsection. 

11 (2) PUBLICATION IN CONGRESSIONAL

12 RECORD.—If the Speaker and the minority leader 

13 jointly grant a waiver under paragraph (1) to make 

14 a benefit or service available to a former Member, 

15 the Speaker and minority leader shall, not later than 

16 24 hours after the waiver is granted, cause to have 

17 published in the Congressional Record a statement 

18 identifying the former Member and the benefit or 

19 service involved. 

20 SEC. 5. PROHIBITING MEMBERS OF HOUSE OF REPRESENT21 ATIVES FROM OWNING INDIVIDUAL STOCKS. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—Rule XXIII of the Rules of the 

23 House of Representatives is amended— 

24 (1) by redesignating clause 22 as clause 23; 

25 and 


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1 (2) by inserting after clause 21 the following: 

2 ‘‘22. A Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner 

3 may not own the common stock of any individual corpora4 tion.’’. 

5 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 

6 subsection (a) shall take effect immediately before noon 

7 on January 3, 2025. 

8 SEC. 6. REDUCTION OF PAY OF MEMBERS OF HOUSE IF 

9 SPEAKER IS NOT ELECTED. 

10 (a) REDUCTION OF PAY.— 

11 (1) REDUCTION.—If, by the end of the first day 

12 of a Congress, the House of Representatives has not 

13 elected a Speaker, the annual rate of pay applicable 

14 under section 601(a) of the Legislative Reorganiza15 tion Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 4501) with respect to 

16 each Member of the House of Representatives for 

17 the year shall be reduced by an amount equal to the 

18 product of— 

19 (A) an amount equal to one day’s worth of 

20 pay under such annual rate; and 

21 (B) the number of 24-hour periods occur22 ring during the Congress during which no 

23 Speaker has been elected for the Congress. 


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1 (2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This subsection shall 

2 apply with respect to the One Hundred Nineteenth 

3 Congress and each succeeding Congress. 

4 (b) RULE FOR ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CON5 GRESS.— 

6 (1) HOLDING SALARIES IN ESCROW.—If, by the 

7 end of the first day of the One Hundred Eighteenth 

8 Congress, the House of Representatives has not 

9 elected a Speaker, the Chief Administrative Officer 

10 of the House of Representatives, or an employee of 

11 the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer who is 

12 designated by the Chief Administrative Officer to 

13 carry out this Act, shall— 

14 (A) deposit in an escrow account and ex15 clude from the payments otherwise required to 

16 be made for the compensation of each Member 

17 of the House of Representatives with respect to 

18 a pay period during which the House has not 

19 elected a Speaker an amount equal to the prod20 uct of— 

21 (i) the daily rate of pay of the Mem22 ber under section 601(a) of the Legislative 

23 Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 

24 4501); and 


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1 (ii) the number of 24-hour periods 

2 during which no Speaker has been elected 

3 for the One Hundred Eighteenth Congress; 

4 and 

5 (B) release amounts deposited in an es6 crow account under subparagraph (A) to such 

7 Member of the House of Representatives only 

8 upon the expiration of the period described in 

9 paragraph (2). 

10 (2) PERIOD DESCRIBED.—The period described 

11 in this paragraph is the period that— 

12 (A) begins on the first day of the One 

13 Hundred Eighteenth Congress; and 

14 (B) ends on the earlier of— 

15 (i) the date on which the House elects 

16 a Speaker for the One Hundred Eight17 eenth Congress; or 

18 (ii) the last day of the One Hundred 

19 Eighteenth Congress. 

20 (3) WITHHOLDING AND REMITTANCE OF

21 AMOUNTS FROM PAYMENTS HELD IN ESCROW.—The 

22 Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Rep23 resentatives, or an employee of the Office of the 

24 Chief Administrative Officer who is designated by 

25 the Chief Administrative Officer to carry out this 


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1 Act, shall provide for the same withholding and re2 mittance with respect to a payment deposited in an 

3 escrow account under paragraph (1) that would 

4 apply to the payment if the payment were not sub5 ject to paragraph (1). 

6 (4) RELEASE OF AMOUNTS AT END OF THE

7 CONGRESS.—In order to ensure that this subsection 

8 is carried out in a manner that shall not vary the 

9 compensation of Representatives in violation of the 

10 Twenty-seventh Amendment to the Constitution of 

11 the United States, the Chief Administrative Officer 

12 of the House of Representatives, or an employee of 

13 the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer who is 

14 designated by the Chief Administrative Officer to 

15 carry out this Act, shall release for payment to 

16 Members of the House of Representatives any 

17 amounts remaining in any escrow account under this 

18 section on the last day of the One Hundred Eight19 eenth Congress. 

20 (c) MEMBER DEFINED.—In this section, the term 

21 ‘‘Member of the House of Representatives’’ means an indi22 vidual serving in a position in the House of Representa23 tives which is covered under subparagraph (A), (B), or 

24 (C) of section 601(a)(1) of the Legislative Reorganization 

25 Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 4501(1)). 


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1 SEC. 7. PROHIBITING MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF REP2 RESENTATIVES FROM SERVING ON BOARDS 

3 OF FOR-PROFIT ENTITIES. 

4 Rule XXIII of the Rules of the House of Representa5 tives, as amended by section 5(a), is amended— 

6 (1) by redesignating clauses 19 through 23 as 

7 clauses 20 through 24, respectively; and 

8 (2) by inserting after clause 18 the following 

9 new clause: 

10 ‘‘19. A Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner 

11 may not serve on the board of directors of any for-profit 

12 entity.’’. 

Æ 


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