Title: BLAST Act
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Banning Lobbying and Safeguarding Trust Act or the BLAST Act
This bill permanently prohibits former Members of Congress from lobbying any current Member, officer, or employee of Congress on behalf of any other person. Under current law, a former Senator is prohibited from lobbying Members for two years after leaving office; a former Member of the House of Representatives is prohibited from lobbying Members for one year after leaving office.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4187 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4187

 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.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 31, 2017

Mr. Hollingsworth introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
                     the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 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.

    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 ``Banning Lobbying and Safeguarding 
Trust Act'' or the ``BLAST 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.
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