Special Interest Lobbying and Ethics Accountability Act of 2005

Bill: 109-hr-2412
Sponsor: Rep. Meehan, Martin T. [D-MA-5]
Introduced: 2005-05-17 in the House
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Associations, institutions, etc.
Campaign funds
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Commerce
Conflict of interests
Congress
Congressional agencies
Congressional committees (House)
Congressional employees
Congressional ethics
Congressional hearings
Congressional investigations
Congressional publicity
Congressional reorganization
Congressional reporting requirements
Congressional travel
Crime and Law Enforcement
Data banks
Electronic data interchange
Electronic government information
Employee selection
Ex-Members of Congress
Federal advisory bodies
Federal employees
Federal officials
Financial disclosure
Fines (Penalties)
Freedom of information
Gifts
Government and business
Government ethics
Government paperwork
Government publicity
House Administration
House Judiciary
House Standards of Official Conduct
House of Representatives
House rules and procedure
Internet
Labor and Employment
Law
Legislation
Lobbying
Mass media
Members of Congress
Office of Government Ethics
Political advertising
Political parties
Removal of officials
Science, Technology, Communications
Senate rules and procedure
Travel costs

Summary:
action_date: 2005-05-17
text: 
Special Interest Lobbying and Ethics Accountability Act of 2005 - Amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to require: (1) quarterly instead of semiannual filing of lobbying disclosures reports; (2) electronic filing; (3) maintenance of certain lobbying disclosure information in an electronic data base, available to the public free of charge over the Internet; (4) identification of each executive official and Member of Congress with whom lobbying contacts are made; (5) disclosure by registered lobbyists of all past executive and congressional employment; and (6) disclosure of grassroots lobbying communications by paid lobbyists.
 
 Extends from one to two years the ban on lobbying contacts by former senior and very senior executive personnel, former Members of Congress, and officers and employees of the legislative branch with any officer or employee of the entity in which such person served before his or her tenure terminated.
 
Requires public disclosure by Members of Congress of employment negotiations.
 
Subjects to fines and penalties a Member of Congress or an employee of the House who wrongfully influences, on a partisan basis, an entity's employment decisions or practices.
 
Amends the Code of Official Conduct in the House to prohibit favoritism.
 
Requires certification that congressional travel meets certain conditions, and establishes civil fines for false certifications.
 
Requires the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct to develop and revise guidelines on reasonable expenses or expenditures for official government travel.
 
Calls for reviews and semiannual reports by the Comptroller General on activities carried out by the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate under the Act, subject to congressional committee hearings.
 
Increases the penalty for failure to comply with lobbying disclosure requirements.
 
Requires appointment of a bipartisan ethics task force to make recommendations on: (1) strengthening ethics oversight and enforcement in the House; and (2) providing the resources necessary to accomplish this goal.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-05-17
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Standards of Official Conduct, and Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2005-05-17
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Standards of Official Conduct, and Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2005-05-17
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Standards of Official Conduct, and Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2005-05-17
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Standards of Official Conduct, and Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2005-05-17
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2005-05-17
text: Introduced in House