‘‘TITLE II—ETHICS PLEDGE 
‘‘SEC. 201. DEFINITIONS. 
‘‘For the purposes of this title, the following defini-
tions apply: 
‘‘(1) The term ‘executive agency’ has the mean-
ing given that term in section 105 of title 5, United 
States Code, and includes the Executive Office of 
the President, the United States Postal Service, and 
Postal Regulatory Commission, but does not include 
the Government Accountability Office. 
‘‘(2) The term ‘appointee’ means any noncareer 
Presidential or Vice-Presidential appointee, non-
career appointee in the Senior Executive Service (or 
other SES-type system), or appointee to a position 
that has been excepted from the competitive service 
by reason of being of a confidential or policymaking 
character (Schedule C and other positions excepted 
under comparable criteria) in an executive agency, 
but does not include any individual appointed as a 
member of the Senior Foreign Service or solely as 
a uniformed service commissioned officer. 
‘‘(3) The term ‘gift’— 
‘‘(A) has the meaning given that term in 
section 2635.203(b) of title 5, Code of Federal 
Regulations (or any successor regulation); and 
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‘‘(B) does not include those items excluded 
by sections 2635.204(b), (c), (e)(1), (e)(3), (j), 
(k), and (l) of such title 5. 
‘‘(4) The terms ‘covered executive branch offi-
cial’ and ‘lobbyist’ have the meanings given those 
terms in section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 
1995 (2 U.S.C. 1602). 
‘‘(5) The term ‘registered lobbyist or lobbying 
organization’ means a lobbyist or an organization fil-
ing a registration pursuant to section 4(a) of the 
Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 
1603(a)), and in the case of an organization filing 
such a registration, ‘registered lobbyist’ includes 
each of the lobbyists identified therein. 
‘‘(6) The terms ‘lobby’ and ‘lobbied’ mean to 
act or have acted as a registered lobbyist. 
‘‘(7) The term ‘former employer’— 
‘‘(A) means a person or entity for whom 
an appointee served as an employee, officer, di-
rector, trustee, partner, agent, attorney, con-
sultant, or contractor during the 2-year period 
ending on the date before the date on which the 
covered employee begins service in the Federal 
Government; and 
‘‘(B) does not include— 
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‘‘(i) an agency or instrumentality of 
the Federal Government; 
‘‘(ii) a State or local government; 
‘‘(iii) the District of Columbia; 
‘‘(iv) an Indian tribe, as defined in 
section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination 
and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 
5304); or 
‘‘(v) the government of a territory or 
possession of the United States. 
‘‘(8) The term ‘former client’ means a person 
or entity for whom an appointee served personally as 
agent, attorney, or consultant during the 2-year pe-
riod ending on the date before the date on which the 
covered employee begins service in the Federal Gov-
ernment, but does not include an agency or instru-
mentality of the Federal Government; 
‘‘(9) The term ‘directly and substantially re-
lated to my former employer or former clients’ 
means matters in which the appointee’s former em-
ployer or a former client is a party or represents a 
party. 
‘‘(10) The term ‘participate’ means to partici-
pate personally and substantially. 
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‘‘(11) The term ‘post-employment restrictions’ 
includes the provisions and exceptions in section 
207(c) of title 18, United States Code, and the im-
plementing regulations. 
‘‘(12) The term ‘Government official’ means 
any employee of the executive branch. 
‘‘(13) The term ‘Administration’ means all 
terms of office of the incumbent President serving at 
the time of the appointment of an appointee covered 
by this title. 
‘‘(14) The term ‘pledge’ means the ethics 
pledge set forth in section 202 of this title. 
‘‘(15) All references to provisions of law and 
regulations shall refer to such provisions as in effect 
on the date of enactment of this title. 
‘‘SEC. 202. ETHICS PLEDGE. 
‘‘Each appointee in every executive agency appointed 
on or after the date of enactment of this section shall be 
required to sign an ethics pledge upon appointment. The 
pledge shall be signed and dated within 30 days of taking 
office and shall include, at a minimum, the following ele-
ments: 
‘‘ ‘As a condition, and in consideration, of my employ-
ment in the United States Government in a position in-
vested with the public trust, I commit myself to the fol-
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lowing obligations, which I understand are binding on me 
and are enforceable under law: 
‘‘ ‘(1) Lobbyist Gift Ban.—I will not accept 
gifts from registered lobbyists or lobbying organiza-
tions for the duration of my service as an appointee. 
‘‘ ‘(2) Revolving Door Ban; Entering Govern-
ment.— 
‘‘ ‘(A) All Appointees Entering Govern-
ment.—I will not, for a period of 2 years from 
the date of my appointment, participate in any 
particular matter involving specific party or 
parties that is directly and substantially related 
to my former employer or former clients, in-
cluding regulations and contracts. 
‘‘ ‘(B) Lobbyists Entering Government.—If 
I was a registered lobbyist within the 2 years 
before the date of my appointment, in addition 
to abiding by the limitations of subparagraph 
(A), I will not for a period of 2 years after the 
date of my appointment: 
‘‘ ‘(i) participate in any particular 
matter on which I lobbied within the 2 
years before the date of my appointment; 
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‘‘ ‘(ii) participate in the specific issue 
area in which that particular matter falls; 
or 
‘‘ ‘(iii) seek or accept employment with 
any executive agency that I lobbied within 
the 2 years before the date of my appoint-
ment. 
‘‘ ‘(3) Revolving Door Ban; Appointees Leaving 
Government.— 
‘‘ ‘(A) All Appointees Leaving Govern-
ment.—If, upon my departure from the Govern-
ment, I am covered by the post-employment re-
strictions on communicating with employees of 
my former executive agency set forth in section 
207(c) of title 18, United States Code, I agree 
that I will abide by those restrictions for a pe-
riod of 2 years following the end of my appoint-
ment. 
‘‘ ‘(B) Appointees Leaving Government to 
Lobby.—In addition to abiding by the limita-
tions of subparagraph (A), I also agree, upon 
leaving Government service, not to lobby any 
covered executive branch official or noncareer 
Senior Executive Service appointee for the re-
mainder of the Administration. 
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