HUMBLE Act
Bill: H.R.459 | Sponsor: Rep. Craig, Angie (D-MN)
Policy area: Congress

Summary:
Halt Unchecked Member Benefits with Lobbying Elimination Act or the HUMBLE Act
This bill places limits on certain activities of Members and elected officers of Congress.
The bill imposes a permanent ban on lobbying contacts by a former Senator (currently, a two-year ban), a former Member of the House of Representatives (currently, a one-year ban), or a former elected officer of the House or Senate (currently, a one-year ban).
This bill prohibits federal funds made available for the official travel of a Member or other officer or employee of the legislative branch from being used for airline accommodations that are not coach-class accommodations.
Such prohibition is inapplicable for an individual if the use would be permitted for an employee of an agency subject to specified federal regulations for temporary duty travel allowances.
Certain benefits and services are eliminated for former Members of the House (e.g., access to the House chamber, the Member's Dining Room, or parking spaces) unless the benefits or services are made available to the public.
Finally, the bill prohibits Members of the House from owning the common stock of any individual corporation.

To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit former Members and 
 elected officers of Congress from lobbying Congress at any time after 
                leaving office, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Halt Unchecked Member Benefits with 
Lobbying Elimination Act'' or the ``HUMBLE Act''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITING FORMER MEMBERS AND OFFICERS OF CONGRESS FROM 
              LOBBYING CONGRESS.

    (a) Prohibition.--Section 207(e)(1) of title 18, United States 
Code, is amended to read as follows:
            ``(1) Members and elected officers of congress.--Any person 
        who is a Senator, a Member of the House of Representatives, or 
        an elected officer of the Senate or the House of 
        Representatives and who, after that person leaves office, 
        knowingly makes, with the intent to influence, any 
        communication to or appearance before any Member, officer, or 
        employee of either House of Congress or any employee of any 
        other legislative office of the Congress, on behalf of any 
        other person (except the United States) in connection with any 
        matter on which such former Senator, Member, or elected 
        official 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.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--Section 207(e)(2) of such title is 
amended--
            (1) in the heading, by striking ``Officers and staff'' and 
        inserting ``Staff'';
            (2) by striking ``an elected officer of the Senate, or'';
            (3) by striking ``leaves office or employment'' and 
        inserting ``leaves employment''; and
            (4) by striking ``former elected officer or''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply with respect to an individual who leaves office on or after the 
date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 3. PROHIBITING USE OF FUNDS FOR OFFICIAL TRAVEL EXPENSES OF 
              MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND LEGISLATIVE BRANCH EMPLOYEES FOR 
              AIRLINE ACCOMMODATIONS OTHER THAN COACH CLASS.

    (a) Prohibition.--Except as provided in subsection (b), no funds 
appropriated or otherwise made available for the official travel 
expenses of a Member of Congress or other officer or employee of any 
office in the legislative branch may be used for airline accommodations 
which are not coach-class accommodations.
    (b) Exceptions.--Funds described in subsection (a) may be used for 
airline accommodations which are not coach-class accommodations for an 
individual described in subsection (a) if the use of the funds for such 
accommodations would be permitted under sections 301-10.121 through 
301-10.125 of title 41 of the Code of Federal Regulations if the 
individual were an employee of an agency which is subject to chapter 
301 of such title.
    (c) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this Act may be construed to 
affect any officer or employee of an office of the legislative branch 
which, as of the date of the enactment of this Act, is subject to 
chapter 301 of title 41 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
    (d) Definitions.--
            (1) Coach-class accommodations.--In this Act, the term 
        ``coach-class accommodations'' means the basic class of 
        accommodation by airlines that is normally the lowest fare 
        offered regardless of airline terminology used, and (as 
        referred to by airlines) may include tourist class or economy 
        class, as well as single class when the airline offers only one 
        class of accommodations to all travelers.
            (2) Member of congress.--In this Act, the term ``Member of 
        Congress'' means a Senator or a Representative in, or Delegate 
        or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress.
    (e) Effective Date.--This section shall apply with respect to 
fiscal year 2022 and each succeeding fiscal year.

SEC. 4. BENEFITS AND SERVICES PROVIDED TO FORMER MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE 
              OF REPRESENTATIVES.

    (a) Benefits and Services Described.--The House of Representatives 
may not make any of the following benefits and services available to an 
individual who becomes a former Member of the House (except to the 
extent such benefits and services are made available to members of the 
public):
            (1) Access to the Hall of the House.
            (2) Access to athletic facilities and other facilities 
        available for the use of Members of the House.
            (3) Access to the Members' Dining Room located in the House 
        of Representatives wing of the United States Capitol.
            (4) Access to parking spaces.
            (5) Access to material from the House document room.
            (6) Use of the collections in the House Legislative 
        Resource Center without borrowing privileges.
    (b) Waiver Authority.--
            (1) Authority to waive elimination of benefit or service.--
        The Speaker and the Minority Leader of the House of 
        Representatives may jointly, on a case-by-case basis, grant a 
        waiver of subsection (a) with respect to a former Member of the 
        House and a benefit or service described in such subsection.
            (2) Publication in congressional record.--If the Speaker 
        and the Minority Leader jointly grant a waiver under paragraph 
        (1) to make a benefit or service available to a former Member, 
        the Speaker and Minority Leader shall, not later than 24 hours 
        after the waiver is granted, caused to have published in the 
        Congressional Record a statement identifying the former Member 
        and the benefit or service involved.

SEC. 5. PROHIBITING MEMBERS OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FROM OWNING 
              INDIVIDUAL STOCKS.

    (a) In General.--Rule XXIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives (known as the ``Code of Official Conduct'') is amended 
by redesignating clause 22 as clause 23 and inserting after clause 21 
the following:
    ``22. A Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner may not own the 
common stock of any individual corporation.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
take effect immediately before noon on January 3, 2023.
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