ficial shall, on the request of the official at the time of
the lobbying contact—
(1) state whether the person or entity is reg-
istered under this Act and identify the client on
whose behalf the lobbying contact is made; and
(2) state whether such client is a foreign entity
and identify any foreign entity required to be dis-
closed under section 4(b)(4) that has a direct inter-
est in the outcome of the lobbying activity.
(b) WRITTEN LOBBYING CONTACTS.—Any person or
entity registered under this Act that makes a written lob-
bying contact (including an electronic communication)
with a covered legislative branch official or a covered exec-
utive branch official shall—
(1) if the client on whose behalf the lobbying
contact was made is a foreign entity, identify such
client, state that the client is considered a foreign
entity under this Act, and state whether the person
making the lobbying contact is registered on behalf
of that client under section 4; and
(2) identify any other foreign entity identified
pursuant to section 4(b)(4) that has a direct interest
in the outcome of the lobbying activity.
(c) IDENTIFICATION AS COVERED OFFICIAL.—Upon
request by a person or entity making a lobbying contact,
the individual who is contacted or the office employing
that individual shall indicate whether or not the individual
is a covered legislative branch official or a covered execu-
tive branch official.
SEC. 15. ESTIMATES BASED ON TAX REPORTING SYSTEM.
(a) ENTITIES COVERED BY SECTION 6033(b) OF THE
INTERNAL REVENUE CODE OF 1986.—A registrant that
is required to report and does report lobbying expenditures
pursuant to section 6033(b)(8) of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986 may—
(1) make a good faith estimate (by category of
dollar value) of applicable amounts that would be re-
quired to be disclosed under such section for the ap-
propriate semiannual period to meet the require-
ments of sections 4(a)(3), 5(a)(2), and 5(b)(4); and
(2) in lieu of using the definition of ‘‘lobbying
activities’’ in section 3(8) of this Act, consider as
lobbying activities only those activities that are influ-
encing legislation as defined in section 4911(d) of
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
(b) ENTITIES COVERED BY SECTION 162(e) OF THE
INTERNAL REVENUE CODE OF 1986.—A registrant that
is subject to section 162(e) of the Internal Revenue Code
of 1986 may—
(1) make a good faith estimate (by category of
dollar value) of applicable amounts that would not
be deductible pursuant to such section for the appro-
priate semiannual period to meet the requirements
of sections 4(a)(3), 5(a)(2), and 5(b)(4); and
(2) in lieu of using the definition of ‘‘lobbying
activities’’ in section 3(8) of this Act, consider as
lobbying activities only those activities, the costs of
which are not deductible pursuant to section 162(e)
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
(c) DISCLOSURE OF ESTIMATE.—Any registrant that
elects to make estimates required by this Act under the
procedures authorized by subsection (a) or (b) for report-
ing or threshold purposes shall—
(1) inform the Secretary of the Senate and the
Clerk of the House of Representatives that the reg-
istrant has elected to make its estimates under such
procedures; and
(2) make all such estimates, in a given calendar
year, under such procedures.
(d) STUDY.—Not later than March 31, 1997, the
Comptroller General of the United States shall review re-
porting by registrants under subsections (a) and (b) and
report to the Congress—
(1) the differences between the definition of
‘‘lobbying activities’’ in section 3(8) and the defini-
tions of ‘‘lobbying expenditures’’, ‘‘influencing legis-
lation’’, and related terms in sections 162(e) and
4911 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as each
are implemented by regulations;
(2) the impact that any such differences may
have on filing and reporting under this Act pursuant
to this subsection; and
(3) any changes to this Act or to the appro-
priate sections of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986
that the Comptroller General may recommend to
harmonize the definitions.
SEC. 16. REPEAL OF THE RAMSPECK ACT.
(a) REPEAL.—Subsection (c) of section 3304 of title
5, United States Code, is repealed.
(b) REDESIGNATION.—Subsection (d) of section 3304
of title 5, United States Code, is redesignated as sub-
section (c).
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The repeal and amendment
made by this section shall take effect 2 years after the
date of the enactment of this Act.
SEC. 17. EXCEPTED SERVICE AND OTHER EXPERIENCE
CONSIDERATIONS FOR COMPETITIVE SERV-
ICE APPOINTMENTS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 3304 of title 5, United
States Code (as amended by section 2 of this Act) is fur-
ther amended by adding at the end thereof the following
new subsection:
‘‘(d) The Office of Personnel Management shall pro-
mulgate regulations on the manner and extent that experi-
ence of an individual in a position other than the competi-
tive service, such as the excepted service (as defined under
section 2103) in the legislative or judicial branch, or in
any private or nonprofit enterprise, may be considered in
making appointments to a position in the competitive serv-
ice (as defined under section 2102). In promulgating such
regulations OPM shall not grant any preference based on
the fact of service in the legislative or judicial branch. The
regulations shall be consistent with the principles of equi-
table competition and merit based appointments.’’.
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by
this section shall take effect 2 years after the date of the
enactment of this Act, except the Office of Personnel Man-
agement shall—
(1) conduct a study on excepted service consid-
erations for competitive service appointments relat-
ing to such amendment; and