I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3122 
To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit former Members of 
Congress from engaging in lobbying contacts. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 5, 2019 
Mr. CICILLINE (for himself and Mr. LOEBSACK) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit former 
Members of Congress from engaging in lobbying contacts. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. PROHIBITION ON LOBBYING CONTACTS BY 
FORMER MEMBERS OF CONGRESS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 207(e) of title 18, United 
States Code, is amended as follows: 
(1) Paragraph (1) is amended to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(1) MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.— 
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‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Any person who is a 
Senator or a Member of the House of Rep-
resentatives and who, after that person leaves 
office, knowingly makes any lobbying contact to 
a covered executive branch official, or to any 
Member, officer, or employee of either House of 
Congress, shall be punished as provided in sec-
tion 216 of this title. 
‘‘(B) DEFINITIONS.—In this paragraph, 
the terms ‘lobbying contact’ and ‘covered execu-
tive branch official’ have the meanings given 
those terms in section 3 of the Lobbying Disclo-
sure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1602).’’. 
(2) Paragraph (2) is amended— 
(A) by striking ‘‘(2) Any person’’ and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(2) OFFICERS AND CERTAIN STAFF.— 
‘‘(A) OFFICERS AND STAFF OF THE SEN-
ATE.—Any person’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(B) OFFICERS OF THE HOUSE OF REP-
RESENTATIVES.—(i) Any person who is an 
elected officer of the House of Representatives 
and who, within 1 year after that person leaves 
office, knowingly makes, with the intent to in-
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fluence, any communication to or appearance 
before any of the persons described in clause 
(ii), on behalf of any other person (except the 
United States) in connection with any matter 
on which such elected officer seeks action by a 
Member, officer, or employee of either House of 
Congress, in his or her official capacity, shall be 
punished as provided in section 216 of this title. 
‘‘(ii) The persons referred to in clause (i) 
with respect to appearances or communications 
by a former elected officer are any Member, of-
ficer, or employee of the House of Representa-
tives.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
subsection (a) shall apply to individuals who leave office 
or employment to which such amendments apply on or 
after the date of adjournment of the second session of the 
One Hundred Sixteenth Congress sine die or December 
31, 2020, whichever date is earlier. 
Æ 
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