I 
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5677 
To provide for ethics and lobbying reform. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 22, 2006 
Mr. SHAYS (for himself and Mr. MEEHAN) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the 
Committees on House Administration and Rules, for a period to be subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To provide for ethics and lobbying reform. 
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 ‘‘Ethics and Lobbying 
Reform Act of 2006’’. 
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TITLE I—MISCELLANEOUS 
ETHICS REFORMS. 
SEC. 101. DISCLOSURE OF PAID EFFORTS TO STIMULATE 
GRASSROOTS LOBBYING. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 3 of the Lobbying Disclo-
sure Act of 1995 (in this title referred to as the ‘‘Act’’) 
(2 U.S.C. 1602) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (7), by adding at the end the 
following: ‘‘Lobbying activities include paid efforts to 
stimulate grassroots lobbying, but do not include 
grassroots lobbying.’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(17) 
GRASSROOTS
LOBBYING.—The 
term 
‘grassroots lobbying’ means the voluntary efforts of 
members of the general public to communicate their 
own views on an issue to Federal officials or to en-
courage other members of the general public or seg-
ments thereof to do the same. 
‘‘(18) PAID
EFFORTS
TO
STIMULATE
GRASS-
ROOTS LOBBYING.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘paid efforts 
to stimulate grassroots lobbying’ means any 
paid attempt in support of lobbying contacts on 
behalf of a client to influence the general public 
or segments thereof to contact one or more cov-
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ered legislative or executive branch officials (or 
Congress as a whole) to urge such officials (or 
Congress) to take specific action with respect to 
a matter described in section 3(8)(A), except 
that such term does not include any commu-
nications by an entity directed to its members, 
employees, officers, or shareholders. 
‘‘(B) PAID ATTEMPT TO INFLUENCE THE 
GENERAL PUBLIC OR SEGMENTS THEREOF.— 
The term ‘paid attempt to influence the general 
public or segments thereof’ does not include an 
attempt to influence directed at less than 500 
members of the general public. 
‘‘(C) REGISTRANT.—For purposes of this 
paragraph, a person or entity is a member of 
a registrant if the person or entity— 
‘‘(i) pays dues or makes a contribu-
tion of more than a nominal amount to the 
registrant; 
‘‘(ii) makes a contribution of more 
than a nominal amount of time to the reg-
istrant; 
‘‘(iii) is entitled to participate in the 
governance of the registrant; 
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‘‘(iv) is 1 of a limited number of hon-
orary or life members of the registrant; or 
‘‘(v) is an employee, officer, director 
or member of the registrant. 
‘‘(19) GRASSROOTS LOBBYING FIRM.—The term 
‘grassroots lobbying firm’ means a person or entity 
that— 
‘‘(A) is retained by 1 or more clients to en-
gage in paid efforts to stimulate grassroots lob-
bying on behalf of such clients; and 
‘‘(B) receives income of, or spends or 
agrees to spend, an aggregate of $25,000 or 
more for such efforts in any calendar quarter.’’. 
(b) REGISTRATION.—Section 4(a) of the Act (2 
U.S.C. 1603(a)) is amended— 
(1) in the flush matter at the end of paragraph 
(3)(A), by adding at the end the following: ‘‘For 
purposes of clauses (i) and (ii), the term ‘lobbying 
activities’ shall not include paid efforts to stimulate 
grassroots lobbying.’’; and 
(2) by adding after paragraph (3) the following: 
‘‘(4) 
FILING
BY
GRASSROOTS
LOBBYING 
FIRMS.—Not later than 45 days after a grassroots 
lobbying firm is first retained by a client to engage 
in paid efforts to stimulate grassroots lobbying, such 
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grassroots lobbying firm shall register with the Sec-
retary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of 
Representatives.’’. 
(c) SEPARATE ITEMIZATION OF PAID EFFORTS TO 
STIMULATE GRASSROOTS LOBBYING.—Section 5(b) of the 
Act (2 U.S.C. 1604(b)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (3)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘or a grassroots lobbying 
firm’’ after ‘‘lobbying firm’’; and 
(B) by inserting after ‘‘total amount of all 
income’’ the following: ‘‘(including a separate 
good faith estimate of the total amount of in-
come specifically relating to paid efforts to 
stimulate grassroots lobbying and, within that 
amount, a good faith estimate of the total 
amount specifically relating to paid adver-
tising)’’; 
(2) in paragraph (4), by inserting after ‘‘total 
expenses’’ the following: ‘‘(including a good faith es-
timate of the total amount of expenses specifically 
relating to paid efforts to stimulate grassroots lob-
bying and, within that total amount, a good faith es-
timate of the total amount specifically relating to 
paid advertising)’’; and 
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(3) by adding at the end the following flush 
sentence: 
‘‘Subparagraphs (B) and (C) of paragraph (2) shall not 
apply with respect to reports relating to paid efforts to 
stimulate grassroots lobbying.’’. 
(d) GOOD FAITH ESTIMATES
AND DE MINIMIS 
RULES FOR PAID EFFORTS TO STIMULATE GRASSROOTS 
LOBBYING.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 5(c) of the Act (2 
U.S.C. 1604(c)) is amended by adding at the end 
the following new paragraph: 
‘‘(3) Estimates of income or expenses specifi-
cally relating to paid efforts to stimulate grassroots 
lobbying shall be made as follows: 
‘‘(A) Estimates of amounts in excess of 
$25,000 shall be rounded to the nearest 
$20,000. 
‘‘(B) In the event income or expenses do 
not exceed $25,000, the registrant shall include 
a statement that income or expenses totaled 
less than $25,000 for the reporting period.’’. 
(2) TAX REPORTING.—Section 15 of the Act (2 
U.S.C. 1610) is amended— 
(A) in subsection (a)— 
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(i) in paragraph (1), by striking 
‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 
(ii) in paragraph (2), by striking the 
period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(iii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(3) in lieu of using the definition of paid ef-
forts to stimulate grassroots lobbying in section 
3(18), consider as paid efforts to stimulate grass-
roots lobbying only those activities that are grass-
roots expenditures as defined in section 4911(c)(3) 
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.’’; and 
(B) in subsection (b)— 
(i) in paragraph (1), by striking 
‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 
(ii) in paragraph (2), by striking the 
period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(iii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(3) in lieu of using the definition of paid ef-
forts to stimulate grassroots lobbying in section 
3(18), consider as paid efforts to stimulate grass-
roots lobbying only those activities that are grass-
roots expenditures as defined in section 4911(c)(3) 
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.’’. 
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(e) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall take effect on January 1, 2007. 
SEC. 102. REQUIREMENT OF FULL PAYMENT AND DISCLO-
SURE OF CHARTER FLIGHTS. 
(a) HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Clause 5(a)(3)(A) of rule 
XXV of the Standing Rules of the House of Rep-
resentatives is amended— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ after ‘‘(A)’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2) Market value for a flight on an aircraft 
that is not licensed by the Federal Aviation Adminis-
tration to operate for compensation or hire shall be 
the fair market value of a charter flight. The Com-
mittee on Standards of Official Conduct shall make 
public information received under this subparagraph 
as soon as possible after it is received.’’. 
(2) DISCLOSURE.—Clause 5 of rule XXV of the 
Standing Rules of the House of Representatives is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(g) A Member, officer, or employee who takes a 
flight described in paragraph (a)(3)(A)(2) shall, with re-
spect to the flight, file a report with the Clerk of the 
House of Representatives for public disclosure within 10 
days after the flight— 
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‘‘(1) the date of the flight; 
‘‘(2) the destination of the flight and all other 
persons on the flight, other than those operating the 
aircraft; and 
‘‘(3) the purpose of the trip.’’. 
(b) SENATE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Paragraph 1(c)(1) of rule 
XXXV of the Standing Rules of the Senate is 
amended— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘(A)’’ after ‘‘(1)’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(B) Market value for a flight on an aircraft 
that is not licensed by the Federal Aviation Adminis-
tration to operate for compensation or hire shall be 
the fair market value of a charter flight. The Select 
Committee on Ethics shall make public information 
received under this subparagraph as soon as possible 
after it is received.’’. 
(2) DISCLOSURE.—Paragraph 1 of rule XXXV 
of the Standing Rules of the Senate is amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(h) A Member, officer, or employee who takes a 
flight described in subparagraph (c)(1)(B) shall, with re-
spect to the flight, file a report with the Secretary of the 
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Senate for public disclosure within 10 days after the 
flight— 
‘‘(1) the date of the flight; 
‘‘(2) the destination of the flight; 
‘‘(3) all other persons on the flight, other than 
those operating the aircraft; and 
‘‘(4) the purpose of the trip.’’. 
(c) CANDIDATES.—Subparagraph (B) of section 
301(8) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (42 
U.S.C. 431(8)(B)) is amended— 
(1) in clause (xiii), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(2) in clause (xiv), by striking the period and 
inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following : 
‘‘(xv) any travel expense for a flight 
on an aircraft that is not licensed by the 
Federal Aviation Administration to operate 
for compensation or hire, but only if the 
candidate or the candidate’s authorized 
committee or other political committee 
pays within 7 days after the date of the 
flight to the owner, lessee, or other person 
who provides the use of the aircraft an 
amount not less than the normal and usual 
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charter fare or rental charge for a com-
parable commercial aircraft of appropriate 
size.’’. 
SEC. 103. GIFTS. 
Clause 5 of rule XXV of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (a)(1), by striking subdivi-
sion (B) and by striking ‘‘(A)’’; 
(2) by adding at the end of subparagraph 
(a)(2)(A) the following new sentence: ‘‘The term 
‘gift’ also includes payments or other disbursements 
made, or arranged to be made, for a party, recep-
tion, or other event in the honor or recognition of a 
Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, 
or employee that is held at a national party conven-
tion.’’; and 
(3) in subparagraph (a)(4)(C), by striking ‘‘un-
less’’ and all that follows thereafter and inserting a 
period. 
SEC. 104. PROHIBITION ON PRIVATELY FUNDED TRAVEL. 
Clause 5(b)(1)(A) of rule XXV of the Standing Rules 
of the House of Representatives is amended by inserting 
‘‘or from a nongovernmental organization that retains or 
employs registered lobbyists or agents of a foreign prin-
cipal’’ after ‘‘foreign principal’’. 
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