[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2990 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2990

 To amend chapter 42 of title 28, United States Code, to establish the 
 Judicial Education Fund for the payment of the reasonable expenses of 
judges participating in seminars, to prohibit the acceptance of seminar 
                     gifts, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 27, 2000

  Mr. Kerry (for himself, and Mr. Feingold) introduced the following 
    bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the 
                               Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend chapter 42 of title 28, United States Code, to establish the 
 Judicial Education Fund for the payment of the reasonable expenses of 
judges participating in seminars, to prohibit the acceptance of seminar 
                     gifts, 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. JUDICIAL EDUCATION AND SEMINARS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Judicial Education 
Reform Act of 2000''.
    (b) Judicial Education Fund.--
            (1) Establishment.--Chapter 42 of title 28, United States 
        Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 630. Judicial Education Fund
    ``(a) There is established within the United States Treasury a fund 
to be known as the `Judicial Education Fund' (in this section referred 
to as the `Fund').
    ``(b) Amounts in the Fund may be made available for the payment of 
necessary expenses, including reasonable expenditures for 
transportation, food, lodging, seminar fees and materials, incurred by 
a judge or justice in attending a seminar approved by the Board of the 
Federal Judicial Center. Necessary expenses shall not include 
expenditures for recreational activities or entertainment other than 
that provided to all attendees as an integral part of the seminar. Any 
payment from the Fund shall be approved by the Board.
    ``(c) The Board may approve a seminar after submission of 
information by the sponsor of that seminar that includes--
            ``(1) the content of the seminar (including a list of 
        presenters, topics, and course materials);
            ``(2) the source of funding for the seminar;
            ``(3) the litigation activities of the sponsor and the 
        source of funding (including any litigation funded by the 
        source of funding); and
            ``(4) litigation activities of all presenters at the 
        seminar (including the litigation activity of the employer of 
        the presenter).
    ``(d) If the Board approves a seminar, the Board shall make the 
information submitted under subsection (c) relating to the seminar 
available to judges and the public by posting the information (or a 
detailed summary of the information) on the Internet.
    ``(e) The Judicial Conference shall promulgate guidelines to ensure 
that the Board only approves seminars that are conducted in a manner so 
as to maintain the public's confidence in an unbiased and fair-minded 
judiciary.
    ``(f) In this section the term `seminar' shall include panel 
discussions, conferences, colloquia, symposia, and other similar 
events.
    ``(g) There are authorized to be appropriated for deposit in the 
Fund $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 
2005, to remain available until expended.''.
            (2) Technical and conforming amendment.--The table of 
        sections for chapter 42 of title 28, United States Code, is 
        amended by adding at the end the following:

``630. Judicial Education Fund.''.
    (c) Seminar Gifts Prohibited.--
            (1) Definition.--In this subsection the term ``seminar'' 
        shall include panel discussions, conferences, colloquia, 
        symposia, and other similar events.
            (2) In general.--Not later than 240 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Judicial Conference of the United 
        States shall promulgate regulations to apply section 7353(a) of 
        title 5, United States Code, to prohibit the solicitation or 
        acceptance of anything of value in connection with a seminar.
            (3) Exception.--The prohibition under the regulations 
        promulgated under paragraph (2) shall not apply if--
                    (A) the judge or judicial employee participates in 
                a seminar as a speaker, panel participant, or otherwise 
                presents information;
                    (B) Federal judges are not the primary audience at 
                the seminar; and
                    (C) the thing of value accepted is--
                            (i) reimbursement from the seminar sponsor 
                        of reasonable transportation, food, or lodging 
                        expenses on any day on which the judge or 
                        judicial employee speaks, participates, or 
                        presents information, as applicable;
                            (ii) attendance at the seminar on any day 
                        on which the judge or judicial employee speaks, 
                        participates, or presents information, as 
                        applicable; or
                            (iii) anything excluded from the definition 
                        of a gift under regulations of the Judicial 
                        Conference of the United States under sections 
                        7351 and 7353 of title 5, United States Code, 
                        as in effect on the date of enactment of this 
                        Act.
                                 <all>