1995 (2 U.S.C. 1604) is further amended in subsection 
(b)— 
(1) in paragraph (3), by inserting after ‘‘total 
amount of all income’’ the following: ‘‘(including an 
itemization of the total amount relating specifically 
to grassroots lobbying communications and, within 
that amount, an itemization of the total amount spe-
cifically relating to broadcast media grassroots lob-
bying communications)’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (4), by inserting after ‘‘total 
expenses’’ the following: ‘‘(including an itemization 
of the total amount relating specifically to grassroots 
lobbying communications and, within that total 
amount, an itemization of the total amount specifi-
cally relating to broadcast media grassroots lobbying 
communications)’’. 
SEC. 107. DISCLOSURE OF LOBBYING ACTIVITIES BY CER-
TAIN COALITIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Paragraph (2) of section 3 of the 
Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1602) is 
amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(2) CLIENT.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The term ‘client’ 
means any person or entity that employs or re-
tains another person for financial or other com-
pensation to conduct lobbying activities on be-
half of that person or entity. A person or entity 
whose employees act as lobbyists on its own be-
half is both a client and an employer of such 
employees. 
‘‘(B) TREATMENT OF COALITIONS AND AS-
SOCIATIONS.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—Except as pro-
vided in clauses (ii) and (iii), in the case 
of a coalition or association that employs 
or retains other persons to conduct lob-
bying activities, each of the individual 
members of the coalition or association 
(and not the coalition or association) is the 
client. For purposes of section 4(a)(3), the 
preceding sentence shall not apply, and the 
coalition or association shall be treated as 
the client. 
‘‘(ii) EXCEPTION FOR CERTAIN TAX- 
EXEMPT ASSOCIATIONS.—In case of an as-
sociation— 
‘‘(I) which is described in para-
graph (3) of section 501(c) of the In-
ternal Revenue Code of 1986 and ex-
empt from tax under section 501(a) of 
such Code, or 
‘‘(II) which is described in any 
other paragraph of section 501(c) of 
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
and exempt from tax under section 
501(a) of such Code and which has 
substantial exempt activities other 
than lobbying with respect to the spe-
cific issue for which it engaged the 
person filing the registration state-
ment under section 4, 
the association (and not its members) shall 
be treated as the client. 
‘‘(iii) EXCEPTION FOR CERTAIN MEM-
BERS.— 
‘‘(I) IN
GENERAL.—Information 
on a member of a coalition or associa-
tion need not be included in any reg-
istration under section 4 if the 
amount reasonably expected to be con-
tributed by such member toward the 
activities of the coalition or associa-
tion of influencing legislation is less 
than $500 per any quarterly period.
‘‘(II) EXCEPTION.—Subclause (I) 
shall not apply with respect to any 
member who unexpectedly makes ag-
gregate contributions of more than 
$500 in any quarterly period, and the 
date the aggregate of such contribu-
tions first exceeds $500 in such period 
shall be treated as the date of first 
employment or retention to make a 
lobbying contact for purposes of sec-
tion 4. 
‘‘(iv) LOOK-THRU
RULES.—In the 
case of a coalition or association which is 
treated as a client under the first sentence 
of clause (i)— 
‘‘(I) such coalition or association 
shall be treated as employing or re-
taining other persons to conduct lob-
bying activities for purposes of deter-
mining whether any individual mem-
ber thereof is treated as a client under 
clause (i), and 
‘‘(II) information on such coali-
tion or association need not be in-
cluded in any registration under sec-
tion 4 of the coalition or association 
with respect to which it is treated as 
a client under clause (i).’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The amendments made by 
this section shall apply to— 
(A) coalitions and associations listed on 
registration statements filed under section 4 of 
the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 
1603) after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, and 
(B) coalitions and associations for whom 
any lobbying contact is made after the date of 
the enactment of this Act. 
(2) SPECIAL RULE.—In the case of any coali-
tion or association to which the amendments made 
by this Act apply by reason of paragraph (1)(B), the 
person required by such section 4 to file a registra-
tion statement with respect to such coalition or asso-
ciation shall file a new registration statement within 
30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
TITLE II—SLOWING THE 
REVOLVING DOOR 
SEC. 201. EXTENSION FROM 1 TO 2 YEARS OF BAN ON AT-
TEMPTING TO INFLUENCE BY SENIOR EXECU-
TIVE PERSONNEL, FORMER MEMBERS OF 
CONGRESS, AND OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES 
OF THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH. 
(a) SENIOR AND VERY SENIOR EXECUTIVE PER-
SONNEL.—Section 207 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended in each of subsections (c)(1) and (d)(1) by strik-
ing ‘‘within 1 year after’’ and inserting ‘‘within 2 years 
after’’. 
(b) FORMER MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND OFFICERS 
AND EMPLOYEES OF THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH.—Sec-
tion 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 ‘‘within 1 year’’ and inserting ‘‘within 
2 years’’. 
SEC. 202. REFORM OF WAIVER PROCESS FOR ACTS AFFECT-
ING A PERSONAL FINANCIAL INTEREST. 
Section 208 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (b)(1)— 
(A) by inserting after ‘‘the Government of-
ficial responsible for appointment to his or her
position’’ the following: ‘‘and the Office of Gov-
ernment Ethics’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘a written determination 
made by such official’’ and inserting ‘‘a written 
determination made by the Office of Govern-
ment Ethics, after consultation with such offi-
cial,’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)(3), by striking ‘‘the official 
responsible for the employee’s appointment, after re-
view of’’ and inserting ‘‘the Office of Government 
Ethics, after consultation with the official respon-
sible for the employee’s appointment and after re-
view of’’; and 
(3) in subsection (d)(1)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘Upon request’’ and all 
that follows through ‘‘Ethics in Government Act 
of 1978.’’ and inserting ‘‘In each case in which 
the Office of Government Ethics makes a deter-
mination granting an exemption under sub-
section (b)(1) or (b)(3) to a person, the Office 
shall, not later than 3 business days after mak-
ing such determination, make available to the 
public pursuant to the procedures set forth in 
section 105 of the Ethics in Government Act of 
1978, and publish in the Federal Register, such
determination and the materials submitted by 
such person in requesting such exemption.’’; 
and 
(B) strike ‘‘the agency may withhold’’ and 
insert ‘‘the Office of Government Ethics may 
withhold’’. 
SEC. 203. PUBLIC DISCLOSURE BY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS 
OF EMPLOYMENT NEGOTIATIONS. 
(a) HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.—The Code of Of-
ficial Conduct set forth in rule XXIII of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives is amended by redesignating 
clause 14 as clause 15 and by inserting after clause 13 
the following new clause: 
‘‘14. A Member, Delegate, or Resident Commis-
sioner shall publicly disclose the fact that he or she 
is negotiating or has any arrangement concerning 
prospective employment if a conflict of interest or 
the appearance of a conflict of interest may exist. 
Such disclosure shall be made within 3 days after 
the commencement of such negotiation or arrange-
ment.’’. 
(b) SENATE.—[Text to be supplied by the Senate].
SEC. 204. WRONGFULLY INFLUENCING, ON A PARTISAN 
BASIS, AN ENTITY’S EMPLOYMENT DECISIONS 
OR PRACTICES. 
Whoever, being a Senator or Representative in, or a 
Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress or 
an employee of either House of Congress, with the intent 
to influence on the basis of political party affiliation an 
employment decision or employment practice of any pri-
vate or public entity (except for the Congress), directly 
or indirectly (including through an agent such as an agent 
of a national committee of a political party)— 
(1) takes or withholds, or offers or threatens to 
take or withhold, an official act; or 
(2) influences, or offers or threatens to influ-
ence, the official act of another; 
shall be fined under title 18, United States Code, or im-
prisoned for not more than 15 years, or both, and may 
be disqualified from holding any office of honor, trust, or 
profit under the United States. 
SEC. 205. AMENDMENT TO CODE OF OFFICIAL CONDUCT TO 
PROHIBIT FAVORITISM. 
(a) HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.—Rule XXIII of 
the Rules of the House of Representatives (known as the 
Code of Official Conduct) is amended by redesignating 
clause 14 as clause 15 and by inserting after clause 13 
the following new clause:
‘‘14. A Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, 
officer, or employee of the House may not take or with-
hold, or threaten to take or withold, any official action 
on the basis of partisan affiliation (except as permitted 
by clause 9) or the campaign contributions or support of 
any person or the prospect of personal gain either for one-
self or any other person.’’. 
(b) SENATE.—[Text to be supplied by the Senate.] 
TITLE III—CURBING EXCESSES 
IN PRIVATELY FUNDED TRAVEL 
SEC. 301. REQUIRED CERTIFICATION THAT CONGRES-
SIONAL TRAVEL MEETS CERTAIN CONDI-
TIONS. 
(a) HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.—Clause 5 of rule 
XXV of the Rules of the House of Representatives is 
amended by redesignating paragraphs (e) and (f) as para-
graphs (f) and (g), respectively, and by inserting after 
paragraph (d) the following new paragraph: 
‘‘(e)(1) Except as provided by subparagraph (2), be-
fore a Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, 
or employee of the House may accept a gift of transpor-
tation or lodging otherwise permissible under this clause 
from any person, such Member, Delegate, Resident Com-
missioner, officer, or employee of the House, as applicable,
shall obtain a written certification from such person (and 
provide a copy of such certification to the Clerk) that— 
‘‘(A) the trip was not planned, organized, ar-
ranged, or financed by a registered lobbyist or for-
eign agent and was not organized at the request of 
a registered lobbyist or foreign agent; and 
‘‘(B) the person did not accept, from any 
source, funds specifically earmarked for the purpose 
of financing the travel expenses. 
The Clerk shall make public information received under 
this subparagraph as soon as possible after it is received. 
‘‘(2) A Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner 
is not required to obtain a written certification for a gift 
or transportation or lodging described in subdivision (A), 
(B), (C), (D), (F), or (G) of paragraph (a)(1).’’. 
(b) SENATE.—[Text to be supplied by the Senate]. 
SEC. 302. FALSE CERTIFICATION IN CONNECTION WITH 
CONGRESSIONAL TRAVEL. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Whoever makes a false certifi-
cation in connection with the travel of a Member, officer, 
or employee of either House of Congress (within the mean-
ing given those terms in section 207 of title 18, United 
States Code) shall, upon proof of such offense by a pre-
ponderance of the evidence, be subject to a civil fine de-
pending on the extent and gravity of the violation.
(b) MAXIMUM FINE.—The maximum fine per offense 
under this section depends on the number of separate trips 
in connection with which the person committed an offense 
under this section, as follows: 
(1) FIRST TRIP.—For each offense committed 
in connection with the first such trip, the amount of 
the fine shall be not more than $100,000 per of-
fense. 
(2) SECOND TRIP.—For each offense committed 
in connection with the second such trip, the amount 
of the fine shall be not more than $300,000 per of-
fense. 
(3) ANY OTHER TRIPS.—For each offense com-
mitted in connection with any such trip after the 
second, the amount of the fine shall be not more 
than $500,000 per offense. 
SEC. 303. INCREASED DISCLOSURE OF TRAVEL BY MEM-
BERS. 
(a) 
HOUSE
OF
REPRESENTATIVES.—Clause 
5(b)(1)(A)(ii) of rule XXV of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives is amended by— 
(1) inserting ‘‘a detailed description of each of’’ 
before ‘‘the expenses’’; and
(2) inserting ‘‘, including a description of all 
meetings, tours, events, and outings during such 
travel’’ before the period at the end thereof. 
(b) SENATE.—[Text to be supplied by the Senate.] 
SEC. 304. GUIDELINES RESPECTING TRAVEL EXPENSES. 
(a) HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.—Clause 5(f) of 
rule XXV of the Rules of the House of Representatives 
is amended by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ after ‘‘(f)’’ and by adding 
at the end the following new subparagraph: 
‘‘(2) Within 90 days after the date of adoption of this 
subparagraph and at annual intervals thereafter, the Com-
mittee on Standards of official Conduct shall develop and 
revise, as necessary, guidelines on what constitutes ‘rea-
sonable expenses’ or ‘reasonable expenditures’ for pur-
poses of paragraph (b)(4). In developing and revising the 
guidelines, the committee shall take into account the max-
imum per diem rates for official Government travel pub-
lished annually by the General Services Administration, 
the Department of State, and the Department of De-
fense.’’. 
(b) SENATE.—[Text to be supplied by the Senate.]
TITLE IV—STRENGTHENING EN-
FORCEMENT AND OVERSIGHT 
OF ETHICS AND LOBBYING 
SEC. 401. COMPTROLLER GENERAL REVIEW AND SEMI-
ANNUAL REPORT ON ACTIVITIES CARRIED 
OUT BY CLERK OF THE HOUSE AND SEC-
RETARY OF THE SENATE UNDER LOBBYING 
DISCLOSURE ACT OF 1995. 
(a) ONGOING REVIEW REQUIRED.—The Comptroller 
General shall review on an ongoing basis the activities car-
ried out by the Clerk of the House of Representatives and 
the Secretary of the Senate under section 6 of the Lob-
bying Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1605). The review 
shall emphasize— 
(1) the effectiveness of those activities in secur-
ing the compliance by lobbyists with the require-
ments of that Act; and 
(2) whether the Clerk and the Secretary have 
the resources and authorities needed for effective 
oversight and enforcement of that Act. 
(b) SEMIANNUAL REPORTS.—Twice yearly, not later 
than January 1 and not later than July 1 of each year, 
the Comptroller General shall submit to Congress a report 
on the review required by subsection (a). The report shall 
include the Comptroller General’s assessment of the mat-
ters required to be emphasized by that subsection and any 
recommendations of the Comptroller General to— 
(1) improve the compliance by lobbyists with 
the requirements of that Act; and 
(2) provide the Clerk and the Secretary with 
the resources and authorities needed for effective 
oversight and enforcement of that Act. 
SEC. 402. INCREASED PENALTY FOR FAILURE TO COMPLY 
WITH 
LOBBYING 
DISCLOSURE 
REQUIRE-
MENTS. 
Section 7 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 
U.S.C. 1606) is amended by striking ‘‘$50,000’’ and in-
serting ‘‘$100,000’’. 
SEC. 403. HEARINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND REPORT 
REGARDING ACTIVITIES OF LOBBYISTS. 
The Committee on House Administration and the 
Committee on the Judiciary are each authorized and di-
rected to conduct hearings on each semiannual report sub-
mitted by the Comptroller General pursuant to section 
401(b) and to report, as soon as practicable, the results 
of such hearings and any legislative recommendations to 
address the issues raised by such semiannual report. 
SEC. 404. ETHICS TASK FORCE. 
(a) APPOINTMENT OF ETHICS TASK FORCE.—Within 
30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Speak-
er and the minority leader shall each appoint 5 Members 
to a bipartisan ethics task force with equal representation 
of the majority and minority parties to make recommenda-
tions— 
(1) on strengthening ethics oversight and en-
forcement in the House of Representatives; and 
(2) on providing the resources necessary to ac-
complish this goal. 
(b) CONSULTATION AND FINAL REPORT.—The ethics 
task force shall consult outside experts in its work and 
report its findings and recommendations to the House of 
Representatives not later than 60 days after it is estab-
lished. 
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