Title: White House Ethics Transparency Act of 2019
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
White House Ethics Transparency Act of 2019
This bill creates transparency requirements for ethics waivers (i.e., waivers from the requirement to sign an ethics pledge) issued to executive branch appointees.
Specifically, such ethics waivers must be transmitted to the Office of Government Ethics and made publicly available online.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 391 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 391

 To provide transparency regarding waivers granted to individuals from 
  the ethics requirements of Executive Order 13770 or any subsequent 
                 similar order, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 9, 2019

Mr. Lynch (for himself and Mr. Cummings) introduced the following bill; 
      which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide transparency regarding waivers granted to individuals from 
  the ethics requirements of Executive Order 13770 or any subsequent 
                 similar order, 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 ``White House Ethics Transparency Act 
of 2019''.

SEC. 2. PROCEDURE FOR WAIVERS AND AUTHORIZATIONS RELATING TO ETHICS 
              REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, not 
later than 30 days after an officer or employee issues or approves a 
waiver or authorization pursuant to section 3 of Executive Order 13770 
(82 Fed. Reg. 9333), or any subsequent similar order, such officer or 
employee shall--
            (1) transmit a written copy of such waiver or authorization 
        to the Director of the Office of Government Ethics; and
            (2) make a written copy of such waiver or authorization 
        available to the public on the website of the employing agency 
        of the covered employee.
    (b) Retroactive Application.--In the case of a waiver or 
authorization described in subsection (a) issued during the period 
beginning on January 20, 2017, and ending on the date of enactment of 
this Act, the issuing officer or employee of such waiver or 
authorization shall comply with the requirements of paragraphs (1) and 
(2) of such subsection not later than 30 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act.
    (c) Office of Government Ethics Public Availability.--Not later 
than 14 days after receiving a written copy of a waiver or 
authorization under subsection (a)(1), the Director of the Office of 
Government Ethics shall make such waiver or authorization available to 
the public on the website of the Office of Government Ethics.
    (d) Definition of Covered Employee.--In this section, the term 
``covered employee''--
            (1) means a full-time, non-career Presidential or Vice 
        Presidential appointee, non-career appointee in the Senior 
        Executive Service (or other SES-type system), or an appointee 
        to a position that has been excepted from the competitive 
        service by reason of being of a confidential or policymaking 
        character (Schedule C and other positions excepted under 
        comparable criteria) in an executive agency; and
            (2) does not include any individual appointed as a member 
        of the Senior Foreign Service or solely as a uniformed service 
        commissioned officer.
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