Closing the Congressional Revolving Door Act
Bill: H.R.7782 | Sponsor: Rep. Craig, Angie (D-MN)
Policy area: Congress

Summary:
Closing the Congressional Revolving Door 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).
Additionally, 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.

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 ``Closing the Congressional Revolving 
Door 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. 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.
                                 <all>