Closing the Congressional Revolving Door Act

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, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Closing the Congressional Revolving Door Act 2. Prohibiting former members and officers of congress from lobbying congress (a) Prohibition Section 207(e)(1) of title 18, United States Code, is amended to read as follows: (1) Members and elected officers 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 amendments Section 207(e)(2) of such title is amended— (1) in the heading, by striking Officers and staff Staff (2) by striking an elected officer of the Senate, or (3) by striking leaves office or employment leaves employment (4) by striking former elected officer or (c) Effective date The amendments made by this section shall apply with respect to an individual who leaves office on or after the date of the enactment of this Act. 3. Benefits and services provided to former members of the house of representatives (a) Benefits and services described The House of Representatives may not make any of the following benefits and services available to an individual who becomes a former Member of the House (except to the extent such benefits and services are made available to members of the public): (1) Access to the Hall of the House. (2) Access to athletic facilities and other facilities available for the use of Members of the House. (3) Access to the Members’ Dining Room located in the House of Representatives wing of the United States Capitol. (4) Access to parking spaces. (5) Access to material from the House document room. (6) Use of the collections in the House Legislative Resource Center without borrowing privileges. (b) Waiver authority (1) Authority to waive elimination of benefit or service The Speaker and the minority leader of the House of Representatives may jointly, on a case-by-case basis, grant a waiver of subsection (a) with respect to a former Member of the House and a benefit or service described in such subsection. (2) Publication in congressional record If the Speaker and the minority leader jointly grant a waiver under paragraph (1) to make a benefit or service available to a former Member, the Speaker and minority leader shall, not later than 24 hours after the waiver is granted, caused to have published in the Congressional Record a statement identifying the former Member and the benefit or service involved.

Summary: Closing the Congressional Revolving Door Act This bill bans lobbying by former Members of Congress and eliminates certain benefits and services for former Members of the House of Representatives. Specifically, former Senators, former House Members, or former elected officers of the House or Senate may not communicate with or appear before any Member, officer, or employee of a congressional legislative office seeking action on behalf of any other person, except the United States. (Currently, former Senators are subject to a two-year ban on lobbying, while former House Members and former elected officers are subject to a one-year ban.) Additionally, former House Members may not access certain benefits and services (e.g., access to the House Chamber, the Members' Dining Room, or parking spaces) unless those benefits and services are publicly available.