I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5304 
To prohibit Federal agencies from using Government funds to pay for the 
lodging of agency employees at establishments that are owned by or 
employ certain public officials or their relatives. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 15, 2018 
Mr. RASKIN (for himself, Mr. COHEN, Ms. JAYAPAL, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mrs. 
LAWRENCE, and Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and 
Government Reform 
A BILL 
To prohibit Federal agencies from using Government funds 
to pay for the lodging of agency employees at establish-
ments that are owned by or employ certain public offi-
cials or their relatives. 
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 ‘‘Heightened Oversight 
of Travel, Eating, and Lodging Act of 2018’’. 
SEC. 2. LIMITATION ON USE OF GOVERNMENT PER DIEM. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:58 Mar 27, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5304.IH
H5304
pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS
(1) the term ‘‘agency’’ means— 
(A) an Executive agency (as defined in sec-
tion 105 of title 5, United States Code), a mili-
tary department (as defined in section 102 of 
title 5, United States Code), or any other estab-
lishment in the executive branch (including the 
Executive Office of the President, the United 
States Postal Service, and the Postal Regu-
latory Commission); 
(B) an office, agency, or other establish-
ment in the legislative branch; and 
(C) an office, agency, or other establish-
ment in the judicial branch; 
(2) the term ‘‘covered individual’’ means— 
(A) the President; 
(B) a relative of the President; and 
(C) with respect to an agency that is an 
Executive department, the head of the Execu-
tive department; 
(3) the term ‘‘employee’’ means an individual 
employed in or under an agency, including an indi-
vidual employed intermittently in the Government 
service as an expert or consultant and paid on a 
daily when-actually-employed basis and an individual 
serving without pay or at $1 a year; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
00:01 Mar 28, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5304.IH
H5304
pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS
(4) the term ‘‘Executive department’’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 101 of title 5, 
United States Code; 
(5) the term ‘‘per diem allowance’’ means a per 
diem allowance, as defined in section 5701 of title 
5, United States Code, or any similar allowance to 
which an employee is entitled, including any 
amounts made available to the head or other senior 
officer of an agency to pay for subsistence or other 
expenses related to travel; 
(6) the term ‘‘relative’’ has the meaning given 
the term in section 3110(a) of title 5, United States 
Code; and 
(7) the term ‘‘travel reimbursement’’ means re-
imbursement for actual and necessary expenses of 
official travel under section 5702 of title 5, United 
States Code, or any similar reimbursement to which 
an employee is entitled. 
(b) PROHIBITION.—An agency may not provide an 
employee of the agency a per diem allowance or travel re-
imbursement for the cost of lodging at an establishment— 
(1) in which a covered individual has a private 
ownership interest or beneficial interest; or 
(2) that employs a covered individual. 
(c) EXCEPTION.— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:58 Mar 27, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5304.IH
H5304
pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Subsection (b) shall not 
apply to expenditures by the United States Secret 
Service or any other agency for protective mission 
purposes relating to the protection of an employee of 
an Executive department. 
(2) REPORTING REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 
90 days after the date on which an agency makes an 
expenditure that would be prohibited under sub-
section (b) but for the exception under paragraph 
(1) of this subsection, the agency shall submit a re-
port describing the expenditure to the Office of Gov-
ernment Ethics. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:58 Mar 27, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H5304.IH
H5304
pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS