Title: White House Ethics Transparency Act of 2021
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
White House Ethics Transparency Act of 2021
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 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1461 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1461

 To provide transparency regarding waivers granted to individuals from 
 Executive orders related to ethics commitments or compliance, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 1, 2021

  Mr. Lynch 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 
 Executive orders related to ethics commitments or compliance, 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 2021''.

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 any Executive order related to 
ethics commitments or compliance by covered employees, 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) Office of Government Ethics Public Availability.--Not later 
than 30 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.
    (c) Definition of Covered Employee.--In this section, the term 
``covered employee''--
            (1) means a 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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