Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2006

Bill: 109-s-2180
Sponsor: Sen. Reid, Harry [D-NV]
Introduced: 2006-01-20 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Associations, institutions, etc.
Campaign funds
Capitol (Washington, D.C.)
Charter airlines
Conflict of interests
Congress
Congressional agencies
Congressional committees (Senate)
Congressional conference committees
Congressional elections
Congressional employees
Congressional ethics
Congressional investigations
Congressional officers
Congressional publicity
Congressional reorganization
Congressional reporting requirements
Congressional travel
Congressional voting
Crime and Law Enforcement
Data banks
Electronic data interchange
Electronic government information
Employee selection
Employee training
Evidence (Law)
Ex-Members of Congress
Federal officials
Finance and Financial Sector
Financial disclosure
Financial statements
Fines (Penalties)
Fraud
Gifts
Government and business
Government ethics
Government paperwork
Government travel
Internet
Labor and Employment
Law
Lobbying
Members of Congress
Office of Government Ethics
Political action committees
Political parties
Presidential elections
Public meetings
Public records
Record votes
Recruiting of employees
Science, Technology, Communications
Senate
Senate Ethics
Senate Rules and Administration
Senate rules and procedure
Transportation and Public Works
Travel costs

Summary:
action_date: 2006-01-20
text: 
Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2006 - Extends from one to two years the ban on former senior and very senior executive personnel, former Members of Congress, and officers and employees of the legislative branch from making lobbying contacts with any officer or employee of the entity in which such person served before his or her tenure terminated.
 
Eliminates floor privileges for a former Senator or Senator-elect who is a registered lobbyist.
 
Requires public disclosure by Members of Congress and senior congressional staff of employment negotiations.
 
Subjects to fines and penalties a Member of Congress or a congressional employee who wrongfully influences, on a partisan basis, an entity's employment decisions or practices.
 
Amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (LDA) to require: (1) quarterly instead of semiannual filing of lobbying disclosures reports; (2) electronic filing; (3) disclosure of registered lobbyist contributions and payments; (4) disclosure of paid efforts to stimulate grassroots lobbying; (5) disclosure by registered lobbyists of all past executive and congressional employment; and (6) maintenance of certain lobbying disclosure information in an electronic data base, available to the public free of charge over the Internet.
 
Amends the Standing Rules of the Senate to: (1) exclude gifts from lobbyists from the gift ban exceptions; and (2) prohibit privately funded travel by a Member, officer, or employee.
 
Prohibits such individuals from accepting transportation or lodging on trips sponsored by non-profit organizations that are planned, organized, requested, arranged, or financed in whole or in part by a lobbyist or foreign agent, or in which a lobbyist participates.
 
Requires a Member, officer, or employee of the Senate to disclose certain information regarding noncommercial air travel.
 
Requires the Committee on Rules and Administration to develop and revise guidelines on reasonable expenses or expenditures for official government travel.
 
Establishes the Senate Office of Public Integrity.
 
Amends the LDA to increase the penalty for failure to comply with lobbying disclosure requirements.
 
Requires certification that congressional travel meets certain conditions. Establishes civil fines for false certifications.
 
Establishes mandatory annual ethics training for congressional employees.
 
Amends the Standing Rules to require: (1) actual voting in a conference committee meeting on the full text of the proposed conference report; and (2) availability of such report on the Internet for at least 24 hours before its consideration.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-03-06
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1760-1761)
action_date: 2006-01-25
text: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 109-428.
action_date: 2006-01-20
text: Read twice and referred, under authority of the order of the Senate of Jan. 18, 2006, to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. (text of measure as introduced: CR 1/24/2006 S20-23)
action_date: 2006-01-20
text: Introduced in Senate