IB 
Union Calendar No. 325 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 745 
[Report No. 116–403, Part I] 
To amend the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to provide for reform 
in the operations of the Office of Government Ethics, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 24, 2019 
Mr. RASKIN (for himself, Mr. CUMMINGS, and Mr. NADLER) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Re-
form, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period 
to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned 
FEBRUARY 21, 2020 
Reported from the Committee on Oversight and Reform with an amendment 
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
FEBRUARY 21, 2020 
Committee on the Judiciary discharged; committed to the Committee of the 
Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed 
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on January 24, 2019] 
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A BILL 
To amend the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to provide 
for reform in the operations of the Office of Government 
Ethics, and for other purposes. 
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Executive Branch Com-
prehensive Ethics Enforcement Act of 2019’’. 
SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE OFFICE OF GOVERN-
MENT ETHICS. 
Section 405 of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 
(5 U.S.C. App.) is amended by striking ‘‘fiscal year 2007’’ 
and inserting ‘‘fiscal years 2019 through 2023.’’. 
SEC. 3. TENURE OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF GOV-
ERNMENT ETHICS. 
Section 401(b) of the Ethics in Government Act of 
1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is amended by striking the period 
at the end and inserting ‘‘, subject to removal only for inef-
ficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office. The Direc-
tor may continue to serve beyond the expiration of the term 
until a successor is appointed and has qualified, except that 
the Director may not continue to serve for more than one 
year after the date on which the term would otherwise ex-
pire under this subsection.’’. 
SEC. 4. DUTIES OF DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF GOVERN-
MENT ETHICS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 402(a) of the Ethics in 
Government Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is amended by 
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striking ‘‘, in consultation with the Office of Personnel 
Management,’’. 
(b) RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE DIRECTOR.—Section 
402(b) of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. 
App.) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘developing, in consultation 
with the Attorney General and the Office of Per-
sonnel Management, rules and regulations to be 
promulgated by the President or the Director’’ 
and inserting ‘‘developing and promulgating 
rules and regulations’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘title II’’ and inserting 
‘‘title I’’; 
(2) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(2) providing mandatory education and train-
ing programs for designated agency ethics officials, 
which may be delegated to each agency or the White 
House Counsel as deemed appropriate by the Direc-
tor;’’; 
(3) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘title II’’ and 
inserting ‘‘title I’’; 
(4) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘problems’’ 
and inserting ‘‘issues’’; 
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ignated agency ethics officials regarding the resolu-
tion of conflicts of interest as well as any other ethics 
issues under the purview of this Act in individual 
cases; and 
‘‘(17) reviewing and approving, when deter-
mined appropriate by the Director, any recusals, ex-
emptions, or waivers from the conflicts of interest and 
ethics laws, rules, and regulations and making ap-
proved recusals, exemptions, and waivers made pub-
licly available by the relevant agency available in a 
central location on the official website of the Office of 
Government Ethics.’’. 
(c) WRITTEN PROCEDURES.—Paragraph (1) of section 
402(d) of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. 
App.) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘, by the exercise of any author-
ity otherwise available to the Director under this 
title,’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘the agency is’’; and 
(3) by inserting after ‘‘filed by’’ the following: ‘‘, 
or written documentation of recusals, waivers, or eth-
ics authorizations relating to,’’. 
(d) CORRECTIVE ACTIONS.—Section 402(f) of the Eth-
ics in Government Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is amend-
ed— 
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(1) in paragraph (1)— 
(A) in clause (i) of subparagraph (A), by 
striking ‘‘of such agency’’; and 
(B) in subparagraph (B), by inserting be-
fore the period at the end ‘‘and determine that 
a violation of this Act has occurred and issue ap-
propriate administrative or legal remedies as 
prescribed in paragraph (2)’’; 
(2) in paragraph (2)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A)— 
(i) in clause (ii)— 
(I) in subclause (I)— 
(aa) by inserting ‘‘to the 
President or the President’s des-
ignee if the matter involves em-
ployees of the Executive Office of 
the President or’’ after ‘‘may rec-
ommend’’; 
(bb) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; and 
(II) in subclause (II)— 
(aa) by inserting ‘‘President 
or’’ after ‘‘determines that the’’; 
and 
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(bb) by adding ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(ii) in subclause (II) of clause (iii)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘notify, in writ-
ing,’’ and inserting ‘‘advise the Presi-
dent or order’’; 
(II) by inserting ‘‘to take appro-
priate disciplinary action including 
reprimand, suspension, demotion, or 
dismissal against the officer or em-
ployee (provided, however, that any 
order issued by the Director shall not 
affect an employee’s right to appeal a 
disciplinary action under applicable 
law, regulation, collective bargaining 
agreement, or contractual provision).’’ 
after ‘‘employee’s agency’’; and 
(III) by striking ‘‘of the officer’s 
or employee’s noncompliance, except 
that, if the officer or employee involved 
is the agency head, the notification 
shall instead be submitted to the Presi-
dent; and’’; and 
(iii) by striking clause (iv); 
(B) in subparagraph (B)(i)— 
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(i) by striking ‘‘subparagraph (A)(iii) 
or (iv)’’ and inserting ‘‘subparagraph (A)’’; 
(ii) by inserting ‘‘(I)’’ before ‘‘In order 
to’’; and 
(iii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(II)(aa) The Director may secure directly 
from any agency information necessary to enable 
the Director to carry out this Act. Upon request 
of the Director, the head of such agency shall fur-
nish that information to the Director. 
‘‘(bb) The Director may require by sub-
poena the production of all information, docu-
ments, reports, answers, records, accounts, pa-
pers, and other data in any medium and docu-
mentary evidence necessary in the performance 
of the functions assigned by this Act, which sub-
poena, in the case of refusal to obey, shall be en-
forceable by order of any appropriate United 
States district court.’’; 
(C) in subparagraph (B)(ii)(I)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘Subject to clause (iv) 
of this subparagraph, before’’ and inserting 
‘‘Before’’; and 
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(ii) by striking ‘‘subparagraphs (A) 
(iii) or (iv)’’ and inserting ‘‘subparagraph 
(A)(iii)’’; 
(D) in subparagraph (B)(iii), by striking 
‘‘Subject to clause (iv) of this subparagraph, be-
fore’’ and inserting ‘‘Before’’; and 
(E) in subparagraph (B)(iv)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘title 2’’ and inserting 
‘‘title I’’; and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘section 206’’ and in-
serting ‘‘section 106’’; and 
(3) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘(iv),’’. 
(e) DEFINITIONS.—Section 402 of the Ethics in Gov-
ernment Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(g) For purposes of this title— 
‘‘(1) the term ‘agency’ shall include the Executive 
Office of the President; and 
‘‘(2) the term ‘officer or employee’ shall include 
any individual occupying a position, providing any 
official services, or acting in an advisory capacity, in 
the White House or the Executive Office of the Presi-
dent. 
‘‘(h) In this title, a reference to the head of an agency 
shall include the President or the President’s designee. 
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‘‘(i) The Director shall not be required to obtain the 
prior approval, comment, or review of any officer or agency 
of the United States, including the Office of Management 
and Budget, before submitting to Congress, or any com-
mittee or subcommittee thereof, any information, reports, 
recommendations, testimony, or comments, if such submis-
sions include a statement indicating that the views ex-
pressed therein are those of the Director and do not nec-
essarily represent the views of the President.’’. 
SEC. 5. AGENCY ETHICS OFFICIALS TRAINING AND DUTIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 403 of the Ethics in Gov-
ernment Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), by adding a period at the 
end of the matter following paragraph (2); and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(c)(1) All designated agency ethics officials and alter-
nate designated agency ethics officials shall register with 
the Director as well as with the appointing authority of 
the official. 
‘‘(2) The Director shall provide ethics education and 
training to all designated and alternate designated agency 
ethics officials in a time and manner deemed appropriate 
by the Director. 
‘‘(3) Each designated agency ethics official and each 
alternate designated agency ethics official shall biannually 
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attend ethics education and training, as provided by the 
Director under paragraph (2). 
‘‘(d) Each Designated Agency Ethics Official, includ-
ing the Designated Agency Ethics Official for the Executive 
Office of the President— 
‘‘(1) shall provide to the Director, in writing, in 
a searchable, sortable, and downloadable format, all 
approvals, authorizations, certifications, compliance 
reviews, determinations, directed divestitures, public 
financial disclosure reports, notices of deficiency in 
compliance, records related to the approval or accept-
ance of gifts, recusals, regulatory or statutory advi-
sory opinions, waivers, including waivers under sec-
tion 207 or 208 of title 18, United States Code, and 
any other records designated by the Director, unless 
disclosure is prohibited by law; 
‘‘(2) shall, for all information described in para-
graph (1) that is permitted to be disclosed to the pub-
lic under law, make the information available to the 
public by publishing the information on the website 
of the Office of Government Ethics, providing a link 
to download an electronic copy of the information, or 
providing printed paper copies of such information to 
the public; and 
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‘‘(3) may charge a reasonable fee for the cost of 
providing paper copies of the information pursuant 
to paragraph (2). 
‘‘(e)(1) For all information that is provided by an 
agency to the Director under paragraph (1) of subsection 
(d), the Director shall make the information available to 
the public in a searchable, sortable, downloadable format 
by publishing the information on the website of the Office 
of Government Ethics or providing a link to download an 
electronic copy of the information. 
‘‘(2) The Director may, upon request, provide printed 
paper copies of the information published under paragraph 
(1) and charge a reasonable fee for the cost of printing such 
copies.’’. 
(b) REPEAL.—Section 408 of the Ethics in Govern-
ment Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is hereby repealed. 
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Union Calendar No. 325 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 745 
[Report No. 116–403, Part I] 
A BILL 
To amend the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 
to provide for reform in the operations of the Of-
fice of Government Ethics, and for other pur-
poses. 
FEBRUARY 21, 2020 
Reported from the Committee on Oversight and Reform 
with an amendment 
FEBRUARY 21, 2020 
Committee on the Judiciary discharged; committed to the 
Committee of the Whole House on the State of the 
Union and ordered to be printed 
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