I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1356 
To require a Special Counsel report, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 26, 2019 
Mr. DOGGETT (for himself and Mr. CICILLINE) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To require a Special Counsel report, and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Special Counsel Trans-
parency Act’’. 
SEC. 2. REPORT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—A Special Counsel (as described 
in part 600 of title 28, Code of Federal Regulations, or 
any successor thereto), or any other official appointed by 
the Attorney General who exercises duties commensurate 
with those of a Special Counsel and exercises a similar 
degree of independence from the normal chain of com-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:27 Mar 05, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1356.IH
H1356
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
mand of the Department, shall prepare a report as de-
scribed in subsection (b) if— 
(1) the Special Counsel determines that he or 
she has completed his or her investigation; or 
(2) the Special Counsel is removed from his or 
her office, transferred to another location or position 
within the Department of Justice, or resigns before 
the completion of the investigation. 
(b) REQUIREMENTS.—Not later than 30 days after 
the date on which an event described in paragraph (1) 
or (2) of subsection (a) occurs, the Special Counsel shall 
submit to the Attorney General, the Chairman and Rank-
ing Member of the Committee on the Judiciary of the Sen-
ate, and the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Com-
mittee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives 
a report that— 
(1) details the factual findings of the investiga-
tion, including any underlying evidence; 
(2) explains the prosecution or declination deci-
sions, if any, reached by the Special Counsel; and 
(3) contains information regarding significant 
prosecutorial decisions and significant expenditures 
by the Office of the Special Counsel. 
(c) ADDITIONAL CONTENTS.—If, at any time during 
the course of an investigation conducted by a Special 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:27 Mar 05, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1356.IH
H1356
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
Counsel, the Special Counsel consulted with the Attorney 
General for the purpose of including additional jurisdiction 
beyond that specified in the original jurisdiction of the 
Special Counsel, information regarding such consultation 
shall be included in the report required under subsection 
(a), including whether the Attorney General determined 
to include the additional matters within the jurisdiction 
of the Special Counsel or assign the matters to a different 
investigator. 
(d) CLASSIFIED ANNEX.—The report required under 
subsection (a) shall be submitted in unclassified form, and 
may include a classified annex if necessary. 
(e) AVAILABILITY TO THE PUBLIC.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The unclassified form of the 
report shall be made available to the public, con-
sistent with section 552a of title 5, United States 
Code (commonly known as the ‘‘Privacy Act of 
1974’’), other Federal statutes, and the Federal 
Rules of Procedure. 
(2) WRITTEN EXPLANATION.—If any informa-
tion contained in the report required under sub-
section (a) is determined to be classified or is other-
wise not made available to the public, the Attorney 
General shall submit a written statement to Con-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:27 Mar 05, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1356.IH
H1356
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
gress that explains the reasons for such determina-
tion. 
(f) REMOVAL
OR TRANSFER
OF SPECIAL COUN-
SEL.—If the Attorney General removes or transfers the 
Special Counsel, the Attorney General shall communicate 
to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee 
on the Judiciary of the Senate, and the Chairman and 
Ranking Member of the Committee on the Judiciary of 
the House of Representatives the reasons for such removal 
or transfer in writing not later than 10 days after the date 
on which the Special Counsel submits the report required 
under subsection (a). 
(g) COMPENSATION; ACCESS TO MATERIALS.—For 
the purposes of completing the report required under sub-
section (a), the Special Counsel shall— 
(1) continue to receive a salary and shall be 
provided such resources, including staff, as is nec-
essary to complete such report; and 
(2) have access to all materials of the investiga-
tion, unless the access is otherwise restricted by law 
or court order. 
(h) ADDITIONAL REPORTS.—In addition to any re-
port required under subsection (a) and not later than 180 
days after the date of enactment of this Act or after the 
appointment of any Special Counsel who was not ap-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:27 Mar 05, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1356.IH
H1356
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
pointed as of the date of enactment of this Act, and every 
180 days thereafter, the Special Counsel shall submit to 
the Attorney General, the Chairman and Ranking Member 
of the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate, and the 
Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee on the 
Judiciary of the House of Representatives a report on— 
(1) the budgetary requirements and expendi-
tures of the Office of Special Counsel; 
(2) the number and types of personnel, such as 
trial attorneys, paralegals, and investigators, em-
ployed by or assigned to the Office of the Special 
Counsel; 
(3) aggregate statistics on the performance of 
the Office of the Special Counsel, such as the num-
ber of— 
(A) persons charged; 
(B) persons convicted; and 
(C) search warrants sought; and 
(4) any other information the Special Counsel 
determines is relevant to the nature and cir-
cumstances of the investigation or the operations of 
the Office of the Special Counsel. 
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:27 Mar 05, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1356.IH
H1356
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
(4) the public has a substantial interest in re-
ceiving the conclusions of the Special Counsel at the 
earliest possible time; and 
(5) the Special Counsel should conclude the in-
vestigation as soon as practicable and to report on 
his or her findings to the people of the United 
States. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:27 Mar 05, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H1356.IH
H1356
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS