Title: No Couches for Congress Act
Policy area: Congress

Summary:
No Couches for Congress Act
This bill amends the Rules of the House of Representatives to: (1) prohibit Members of the House from using congressional offices or official House resources for personal overnight accommodations, and (2) require the House Committee on Ethics to respond to complaints filed by Members of the House.
The bill also amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow Members of the House a deduction of up to $3,000 for living expenses with an adjustment for inflation after 2018.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5845 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5845

 To prohibit Members of the House of Representatives from using their 
  congressional offices for personal overnight accommodations and to 
amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow a deduction for living 
 expenses incurred by Members of the House of Representatives, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 16, 2018

Mr. Thompson of Mississippi (for himself, Ms. Fudge, Mr. McEachin, Mr. 
 Clyburn, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mrs. Beatty, Mrs. Demings, Ms. Kelly of 
 Illinois, Ms. Adams, Ms. Bass, Mrs. Lawrence, Mr. Hastings, Ms. Blunt 
Rochester, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, 
Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Mr. Evans, Mr. Cummings, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Payne, 
 Ms. Lee, Mr. Clay, Ms. Wilson of Florida, and Mr. Al Green of Texas) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Rules, and Ethics, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 
                        the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To prohibit Members of the House of Representatives from using their 
  congressional offices for personal overnight accommodations and to 
amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow a deduction for living 
 expenses incurred by Members of the House of Representatives, 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 ``No Couches for Congress Act''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITING MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FROM USING 
              OFFICES FOR PERSONAL OVERNIGHT ACCOMMODATIONS; REQUIRING 
              ETHICS COMMITTEE TO RESPOND TO COMPLAINTS FILED BY 
              MEMBERS.

    (a) Prohibiting Members From Using Offices for Personal Overnight 
Accommodations.--Rule XXIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives is amended--
            (1) by redesignating clause 18 as clause 19; and
            (2) by inserting after clause 17 the following new clause:
    ``18. A Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner may not use the 
Member's, Delegate's, or Resident Commissioner's office for personal 
overnight accommodations, and may not use official resources of the 
House, including employees of the House, to support the use of such 
office for such purpose.''.
    (b) Requiring House Ethics Committee To Respond to Complaints Filed 
by Members.--Clause 3(b)(2) of rule XI of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives is amended by striking the period at the end of the 
first sentence in the matter following subdivision (C) and inserting 
the following: ``, and, in the case of a complaint from a Member, 
Delegate, or Resident Commissioner, shall promptly transmit to such 
Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner a written response 
containing an explanation for the delay in disposing of the complaint 
and the results of any investigation of the complaint.''.
    (c) Exercise of Rulemaking Powers.--The provisions of this section 
are enacted--
            (1) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the House of 
        Representatives, and as such they shall be considered as part 
        of the rules of the House, and such rules shall supersede other 
        rules only to the extent that they are inconsistent therewith; 
        and
            (2) with full recognition of the constitutional right of 
        the House of Representatives to change such rules (so far as 
        relating to the House) at any time, in the same manner, and to 
        the same extent as in the case of any other rule of the House.

SEC. 3. REINSTATING LIMITED DEDUCTION FOR LIVING EXPENSES INCURRED BY 
              MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

    (a) In General.--The second sentence of section 162(a) of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by inserting after ``for 
income tax purposes'' the following: ``in any amount in the case of a 
Senator or in excess of $3,000 in the case of a Member of the House of 
Representatives or a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to the 
Congress''.
    (b) Inflation Adjustment.--Section 162 of such Code is amended by 
redesignating subsection (s) as subsection (t) and by inserting after 
subsection (r) the following new subsection:
    ``(s) Inflation Adjustment.--In the case of a taxable year 
beginning after 2018, the $3,000 amount in subsection (a) shall be 
increased by an amount equal to--
            ``(1) such dollar amount, multiplied by
            ``(2) the cost-of-living adjustment determined under 
        section 1(f)(3) for the calendar year in which the taxable year 
        begins, determined by substituting `calendar year 1954' for 
        `calendar year 2016' in subparagraph (A)(ii) thereof.
If any amount as adjusted under paragraph (1) is not a multiple of $50, 
such amount shall be rounded to the next lowest multiple of $50.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendment made by this section shall apply 
to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2018.
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