SEC. 107. EXTENSION OF THE POST-EMPLOYMENT RE-
STRICTION PERIOD. 
(a) LENGTH OF POST-EMPLOYMENT RESTRICTION 
PERIOD.—Section 207(e) of title 18, United States Code, 
is amended in each of paragraphs (1)(A), (2)(A), (3), 
(4)(A), and (5)(A) by striking ‘‘1 year’’ and inserting ‘‘2 
years.’’ 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
subsection (a) shall take effect on the date of enactment 
of this Act, but shall not apply to any Member of Congress 
or any officer who leaves office, or to any employee whose 
employment terminates, before the date of enactment of 
this Act. 
TITLE II—ESTABLISHMENT OF 
OFFICE OF PUBLIC INTEGRITY 
SEC. 201. ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE OF PUBLIC INTEG-
RITY. 
There is established, as an independent office within 
the legislative branch of the Government, the Office of 
Public Integrity (in this title referred to as the ‘‘Office’’). 
SEC. 202. DIRECTOR. 
(a) APPOINTMENT OF DIRECTOR.—(1) The head of 
the Office shall be a Director, who shall be appointed 
jointly by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, 
the majority leader of the Senate, and the minority leaders 
of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Di-
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rector shall be selected and appointed without regard to 
political affiliation and solely on the basis of fitness to per-
form the duties of the Office. 
(2)(A) An individual is ineligible for appointment as 
the Director if the individual, within the preceding 5 years, 
has been a registered lobbyist under the Lobbying Disclo-
sure Act of 1995 or an agent of a foreign principal under 
the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended, 
in a case in which the foreign principal was the govern-
ment of a foreign country. 
(B) The Director may not have been a Member of 
the House of Representatives or a Senator. 
(C) The Director shall possess demonstrated integ-
rity, independence, and public credibility and shall have 
training or experience in law enforcement, the judiciary, 
or as a member of a Federal, State, or local ethics enforce-
ment agency. 
(b) VACANCY.—A vacancy in the office of Director 
shall be filled in the manner in which the original appoint-
ment was made. 
(c) TERM OF OFFICE.—The Director shall serve for 
a term of 5 years and may be reappointed. 
(d) REMOVAL .—The Director may be removed by a 
majority of the appointing authority for— 
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(1) disability that substantially prevents the Di-
rector from carrying out his or her duties; 
(2) incompetence; 
(3) neglect of duty; or 
(4) malfeasance, including a felony or conduct 
involving moral turpitude. 
In removing the Director, a statement of the reasons for 
removal shall be provided in writing to the Director by 
the members who voted for removing the Director and 
shall be made public. 
(e) COMPENSATION.—The Director shall be com-
pensated at the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for 
level V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of 
title 5, United States Code. 
SEC. 203. DUTIES AND POWERS OF THE OFFICE. 
(a) DUTIES.—The Office is authorized— 
(1) to receive, monitor, and oversee financial 
disclosure and other reports filed by Members of 
Congress and officers and employees of Congress 
under the Ethics in Government Act of 1978, and 
reports filed by registered lobbyists under the Lob-
bying Disclosure Act of 1995; 
(2) to investigate any alleged violation, by a 
Member, officer, or employee of the House of Rep-
resentatives or the Senate, of any rule or other 
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standard of conduct applicable to the conduct of 
such Member, officer, or employee under applicable 
House or Senate rules in the performance of the du-
ties, or the discharge of the responsibilities, of such 
Member, officer, or employee; 
(3) to present a case of probable ethics viola-
tions to the Committee on Standards of Official 
Conduct of the House of Representatives or the Se-
lect Committee on Ethics of the Senate; 
(4) to make recommendations to the Committee 
on Standards of Official Conduct of the House of 
Representatives or the Select Committee on Ethics 
of the Senate that the committee report to the ap-
propriate Federal or State authorities any substan-
tial evidence of a violation by a Member, officer, or 
employee of the House of Representatives or the 
Senate of any law applicable to the performance of 
the duties, or the discharge of the responsibilities, of 
such Member, officer, or employee, that may have 
been disclosed in an investigation by the Office; 
(5) to provide information and informal guid-
ance to Members, officers, and employees of the 
House of Representatives and the Senate regarding 
any rules and other standards of conduct applicable 
to such individuals in their official capacities, and 
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develop and carry out periodic educational briefings 
for Members, officers, and employees of the House 
of Representatives and the Senate, on those laws, 
rules, regulations, or other standards; 
(6) to consider the request of any Member, offi-
cer, or employee of the House of Representatives or 
the Senate for a formal advisory opinion or other 
formal ruling, subject to the review of the Com-
mittee on Standards of Official Conduct of the 
House of Representatives or the Select Committee 
on Ethics of the Senate, as applicable, with respect 
to the general propriety of any current or proposed 
conduct of such Member, officer, or employee and, 
with appropriate deletions to assure the privacy of 
the individual concerned, to publish such opinion for 
the guidance of other Members, officers, and em-
ployees of the House of Representatives or the Sen-
ate; 
(7) to conduct periodic and random reviews and 
audits of reports filed with it to ensure compliance 
with all applicable laws and rules; and 
(8) to provide informal guidance to registrants 
under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 of their 
responsibilities under such Act. 
(b) POWERS.— 
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(1) OBTAINING
INFORMATION.—Upon request 
of the Office, the head of any agency or instrumen-
tality of the Government shall furnish information 
that the Director considers necessary to enable the 
Office to carry out its duties. 
(2) REFERRALS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF JUS-
TICE.—Whenever the Director has reason to believe 
that a violation of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 
1995 may have occurred, the Director shall refer 
that matter to the Department of Justice for inves-
tigation. 
(3) GENERAL AUDITS.—The Director may con-
duct general audits of filings under the Lobbying 
Disclosure Act of 1995. 
SEC. 204. INVESTIGATIONS AND INTERACTION WITH THE 
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON STANDARDS OF OFFI-
CIAL CONDUCT OR THE SENATE SELECT 
COMMITTEE ON ETHICS. 
(a) INITIATION OF ENFORCEMENT MATTERS.—(1) 
The Office may initiate an investigation under section 
203(a)(2) when a complaint is filed with the Office by a 
Member of Congress or an outside complainant, or upon 
its own initiative, based on any information the Office pos-
sesses. The Director may not accept a complaint con-
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cerning a Member of Congress within 60 days before an 
election involving such Member. 
(2) Within 30 days after a complaint is filed under 
paragraph (1), the Director shall make an initial deter-
mination of whether the complaint should be dismissed or 
whether there are sufficient grounds to conduct an inves-
tigation under section 203(a)(2). The Director shall pro-
vide to the individual who is the subject of the complaint 
an opportunity, during that 30-day period, to challenge 
the complaint. If the Director decides to dismiss a com-
plaint, the Director can determine the complaint to be friv-
olous. 
(3) If the Director determines that a complaint is 
frivolous, the Director may not accept any future com-
plaint filed by the person who filed the complaint, and the 
complainant shall be required to pay for the costs of the 
Office resulting from the complaint. The Director may 
refer the matter to the Department of Justice to collect 
those costs. 
(4) If the Office begins an investigation under section 
203(a)(2) on its own initiative, the Director shall make 
a preliminary determination of whether there are suffi-
cient grounds to conduct the investigation. Before making 
that determination, the Director shall provide to the indi-
vidual who is the subject of the investigation an oppor-
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tunity to submit information to the Director that there 
are not sufficient grounds to conduct an investigation. 
(5) If the Director determines that there are suffi-
cient grounds to conduct an investigation under section 
203(a)(2)— 
(A) the Director shall notify the Committee on 
Standards of Official Conduct or the Senate Select 
Committee on Ethics, as applicable, of this deter-
mination; 
(B) the applicable committee may overrule the 
determination of the Director if, within 10 legislative 
days— 
(i) the committee by an affirmative, roll- 
call vote of two-thirds of the full committee 
votes to overrule the determination of the Di-
rector; 
(ii) the committee issues a public report 
detailing its reasoning for overruling the Direc-
tor; 
(iii) the vote of each member of the com-
mittee on such roll- call vote is included in the 
report; and 
(iv) dissenting members are allowed to 
issue their own report detailing their reasons 
for disagreeing with the majority vote; and 
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(C) if the applicable committee votes to overrule 
the determination of the Director pursuant to sub-
paragraph (B), the Director may publish and make 
available to the general public a report detailing the 
reasons that the Director concluded there were suffi-
cient grounds to conduct an investigation. 
(b) CONDUCTING INVESTIGATIONS.—(1) If the Direc-
tor determines that there are sufficient grounds to conduct 
an investigation under section 203(a)(2) and the Direc-
tor’s determination is not overruled under subsection 
(a)(5), the Director shall conduct an investigation to de-
termine whether probable cause exists that a violation oc-
curred. 
(2) As part of an investigation, the Director may— 
(A) administer oaths; 
(B) issue subpoenas; 
(C) compel the attendance of witnesses and the 
production of papers, books, accounts, documents, 
and testimony; and 
(D) take the deposition of witnesses. 
(3) If a person disobeys or refuses to comply with 
a subpoena, or if a witness refuses to testify to a matter, 
that person may be held in contempt of Congress. 
(c) PRESENTATION OF CASE TO HOUSE COMMITTEE 
ON STANDARDS OF OFFICIAL CONDUCT OR SENATE SE-
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LECT COMMITTEE ON ETHICS.—(1) If the Director deter-
mines, upon conclusion of an investigation, that probable 
cause exists that an ethics violation has occurred, the Di-
rector shall notify the Committee on Standards of Official 
Conduct of the House of Representatives or the Senate 
Select Committee on Ethics, as applicable, of that deter-
mination. 
(2) The applicable committee may overrule the deter-
mination of the Director if, within 10 legislative days— 
(A) the committee by an affirmative, roll-call 
vote of two-thirds of the full committee votes to 
overrule the determination of the Director; 
(B) the committee issues a public report detail-
ing its reasoning for overruling the Director; 
(C) the vote of each member of the committee 
on the roll-call vote is included in the report; and 
(D) dissenting members are allowed to issue 
their own report detailing their reasons for dis-
agreeing with the majority vote. 
(3) If the applicable committee votes to overrule the 
determination of the Director pursuant to paragraph (2), 
the Director may publish and make available to the gen-
eral public a report detailing the reasons that the Director 
concluded there were sufficient grounds to present the 
case to the committee. 
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(4)(A) If the Director determines there is probable 
cause that an ethics violation has occurred and the Direc-
tor’s determination is not overruled, the Director shall 
present the case and evidence to the Committee on Stand-
ards of Official Conduct of the House of Representatives 
or the Select Committee on Ethics of the Senate, as appli-
cable, to hear and make a determination pursuant to its 
rules. 
(B) The applicable committee shall vote upon wheth-
er the individual who is the subject of the investigation 
has violated any rules or other standards of conduct appli-
cable to that individual in his official capacity. Such votes 
shall be a roll-call vote of the full committee, a quorum 
being present. The committee shall issue a public report 
which shall include the vote of each member of the com-
mittee on the roll-call vote. Dissenting members may issue 
their own report detailing their own reasons for dis-
agreeing with the majority vote. 
(f) SANCTIONS.—Whenever the Committee on Stand-
ards of Official Conduct of the House of Representatives 
or the Select Committee on Ethics of the Senate finds that 
an ethics violation has occurred, the Director shall rec-
ommend appropriate sanctions to the committee and 
whether a matter should be referred to the Department 
of Justice for investigation. 
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(g) LEGISLATIVE DAYS.—In this section, the term 
‘‘legislative days’’ means all days other than those days 
described in section 154(b) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 
U.S.C. 2194(b)). 
SEC. 205. CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW AND IN THE RULES 
OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. 
(a) RULES OF THE HOUSE.—(1) Paragraphs (a) 
through (e) of clause 3 of rule XI of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives are amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(a) The Committee on Standards of Official Con-
duct has the following functions: 
‘‘(1) The committee may recommend to the 
House from time to time such administrative actions 
as it may consider appropriate to establish or en-
force standards of official conduct for Members, Del-
egates, the Resident Commissioner, officers, and em-
ployees of the House. A letter of reproval or other 
administrative action of the committee pursuant to 
an investigation by the Office of Public Integrity re-
ferred to in subparagraph (2) shall only be issued or 
implemented as a part of a report required by such 
subparagraph. 
‘‘(2) The committee may hear, in an adjudica-
tory capacity, a case presented to it by the Director 
of the Office of Public Integrity (in this clause re-
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