[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1356 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1356

 To amend the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to strengthen financial 
            disclosure requirements, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 29, 1995

 Mr. Sanders (for himself, Mr. Hinchey, Ms. McKinney, Mr. DeFazio, and 
Ms. Velazquez) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
     Committee on Rules, and in addition to the Committee on House 
 Oversight, 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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to strengthen financial 
            disclosure requirements, 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 ``Public Interest Legislature Act''.

SEC. 2. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE; REQUIREMENT FOR MEMBERS TO DIVEST OR 
              PLACE IN BLIND TRUST.

    (a) Title I of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 is amended--
            (1) in section 109(13)--
                    (A) in clause (i) by striking ``120 percent of''; 
                and
                    (B) by amending clause (ii) to read as follows:
                    ``(ii) the principal assistants in Washington, 
                D.C., and in the district office designated for 
                purposes of this paragraph by each Member and each 
                professional staff employee of that Member who 
                represents or advises that Member on legislation as a 
                part of that employee's job responsibilities;'';
            (2)(A) in section 102(a)(1)(A) by inserting ``(including a 
        detailed description)'' after ``source'' the first place it 
        appears; and
            (B) in section 102(e)(1) by amending subparagraph (A) to 
        read as follows:
            ``(A) The source, type, and amount or value of income of a 
        spouse shall be contained in each such report in the same 
        manner and to the same extent as required to be reported under 
        subsection (a) by a reporting individual.'';
            (3)(A) in section 102(a)(1)(B) by striking ``and type'' and 
        inserting ``, type, and amount'' and by striking ``, and 
        value'' and all that follows and inserting a period;
            (B) in the first sentence of section 102(a)(3) by striking 
        ``and category of value'' and inserting ``amount'';
            (C) in the first sentence of section 102(a)(4) by striking 
        ``and category of value'' and inserting ``amount'';
            (D) in the first sentence of section 102(a)(5) by striking 
        ``and category of value'' and inserting ``amount'';
            (E) in subsection (d) by striking paragraph (1) and by 
        striking ``(2)'';
            (4)(A) in the first sentence of section 102(a)(3) by 
        inserting ``(including a substantial description)'' after 
        ``identity'';
            (B) in the first sentence of section 102(a)(4) by inserting 
        ``(including a substantial description)'' after ``identity'';
            (C) in section 102(a)(4) by striking ``$10,000'' each place 
        it appears and inserting ``$2,500'' and by striking the dash 
        after ``excluding'', by striking subparagraph (A), and by 
        striking ``(B)'' and moving that matter 2-ems to the left; and
            (5) by adding at the end the following new section:

              ``special provision for members of congress

    ``Sec. 112. (a) Within 30 days of becoming a Member of Congress, 
that Member shall--
            ``(1) divest himself or herself of any asset or interest 
        which exceeds $1,000 in real property (other than property used 
        solely as the personal residence of that Member or that 
        Member's spouse) or in stocks, bonds, commodity futures, or 
        other forms of securities; or
            ``(2) place all assets and interests described in paragraph 
        (1) in a qualified blind trust.
    ``(b) In the case of any individual who is a Member of Congress on 
the effective date of this section, that Member shall, within 30 days 
after that effective date, comply with subsection (a).''.

SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON USE OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ALLOWANCES FOR 
              FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE STATEMENT PREPARATION.

    (a) In General.--No amount from any official allowance of a Member 
of the House of Representatives may be used for reimbursement of any 
cost of preparation of a financial disclosure statement or other report 
required by title I of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978.
    (b) Definition.--As used in subsection (a), the term ``Member of 
the House of Representatives'' means a Representative in, or a Delegate 
or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress.

SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendments made by this Act shall apply to reports required to 
be filed under title I of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 for 
calendar year 1995 and subsequent calendar years and in the case of the 
amendment made by this Act to section 112 of that title, that amendment 
shall take effect on the sixtieth day beginning after the date of 
enactment of this Act.
                                 <all>