Title: RNC Act
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
Reducing Nefarious Crimes Act or the RNC Act
This bill increases the penalties for violations and expands the scope of provisions that prohibit certain political activity by federal employees in the executive branch (commonly referred to as the Hatch Act).
Specifically, the bill (1) increases the maximum period of debarment from federal employment for violations from 5 years to 7 years; (2) increases the maximum civil penalty for violations from $1,000 to $50,000; and (3) explicitly includes the White House and surrounding grounds, including the Rose Garden but excluding the executive residence, as locations in which employees may not engage in political activity.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8111 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8111

  To amend title 5, United States Code, to increase the penalties for 
            violating the Hatch Act, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            August 25, 2020

Mr. Quigley (for himself, Mr. Hastings, Ms. Norton, and Ms. Schakowsky) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                          Oversight and Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title 5, United States Code, to increase the penalties for 
            violating the Hatch Act, 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; FINDINGS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Reducing Nefarious 
Crimes Act'' or the ``RNC Act''.
    (b) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (``OSC'') found that 
        Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway violated the Hatch 
        Act on numerous occasions by disparaging Democratic candidates 
        for President in 2019, and in 2018 by advocating for and 
        against candidates in the 2017 special election for Senate in 
        Alabama.
            (2) Ambassador Nikki Haley, then serving as U.S. Ambassador 
        to the United Nations, retweeted an endorsement by President 
        Trump for a congressional candidate in 2017.
            (3) In 2019, the OSC determined that former Secretary of 
        the Interior Ryan Zinke violated the Hatch Act by posting a 
        picture on Twitter that showed him in socks adorned with Trump 
        campaign insignia.
            (4) In 2018, the OSC found six White House staff, Madeline 
        Westerhout, Alyssa Farah, Jacob Wood, Raj Shah, Jessica Ditto, 
        and Helen Aguirre Ferre, in violation of the Hatch Act for 
        social media posts on their official Twitter accounts.
            (5) In 2017, the OSC determined that White House Director 
        of Social Media Dan Scavino violated the Hatch Act when he used 
        Twitter to call for the defeat of a then-sitting Republican 
        Member of the House.
            (6) Jared Kushner spoke at length during a television 
        interview on how the impeachment trial benefitted President 
        Trump politically.
            (7) In 2019, Ivanka Trump used her official Twitter account 
        to post political content relating to President Trump's 
        reelection campaign and Ms. Trump may have violated the 
        Standard of Conduct that prevents White House employees to 
        endorse any product.
            (8) White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Senior 
        Advisor to the President Stephen Miller criticized then-
        presumptive Democratic nominee for President, Joe Biden, during 
        interviews while in their official capacity as White House 
        staff.
            (9) As President, Donald J. Trump has given numerous 
        political speeches in which he disparages political opponents 
        from the White House.
            (10) The President, Donald J. Trump, planned to give his 
        acceptance speech for the Republican Nomination for President 
        at the Republican National Convention on the White House 
        grounds using Federal resources, thereby compelling Government 
        employees to violate the Hatch Act on his behalf.

SEC. 2. INCREASE IN HATCH ACT PENALTIES.

    (a) In General.--Section 7326 of title 5, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``5 years'' and inserting 
        ``7 years''; and
            (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ``$1,000'' and inserting 
        ``$50,000''.
    (b) Application.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall apply 
to any violation of section 7323 or 7324 of title 5, United States 
Code, occurring on or after the date of enactment of this Act.

SEC. 3. WHITE HOUSE GROUNDS COVERED UNDER HATCH ACT.

    Section 7324(a)(2) of title 5, United States Code, is amended by 
inserting after ``building'' the following: ``(including the White 
House and surrounding grounds, including the Rose Garden, but not 
including the executive residence)''.
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