[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 525 Introduced in Senate (IS)]


109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 525

     To amend the Standing Rules of the Senate to provide greater 
                transparency in the legislative process.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 29, 2006

   Mr. Feingold (for himself and Mr. Obama) submitted the following 
     resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Rules and 
                             Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
     To amend the Standing Rules of the Senate to provide greater 
                transparency in the legislative process.

    Resolved,

SECTION. 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This resolution may be cited as the ``Senate Legislative 
Transparency and Accountability Resolution of 2006''.

SEC. 2. ELIMINATION OF FLOOR PRIVILEGES FOR FORMER MEMBERS, SENATE 
              OFFICERS, AND SPEAKERS OF THE HOUSE WHO ARE LOBBYISTS OR 
              SEEK FINANCIAL GAIN.

    Rule XXIII of the Standing Rules of the Senate is amended by--
            (1) inserting ``1.'' before ``Other'';
            (2) inserting after ``Ex-Senators and Senators elect'' the 
        following: ``, except as provided in paragraph 2'';
            (3) inserting after ``Ex-Secretaries and ex-Sergeants at 
        Arms of the Senate'' the following: ``, except as provided in 
        paragraph 2'';
            (4) inserting after ``Ex-Speakers of the House of 
        Representatives'' the following: ``, except as provided in 
        paragraph 2''; and
            (5) adding at the end the following:
    ``2. (a) The floor privilege provided in paragraph 1 shall not 
apply to an individual covered by this paragraph who is--
            ``(1) a registered lobbyist or agent of a foreign 
        principal; or
            ``(2) is in the employ of or represents any party or 
        organization for the purpose of influencing, directly, or 
        indirectly, the passage, defeat, or amendment of any 
        legislative proposal.
    ``(b) The Committee on Rules and Administration may promulgate 
regulations to allow individuals covered by this paragraph floor 
privileges for ceremonial functions and events designated by the 
Majority Leader and the Minority Leader.''.

SEC. 3. BAN ON GIFTS FROM LOBBYISTS.

    Paragraph 1(a)(2) of rule XXXV of the Standing Rules of the Senate 
is amended by--
            (1) inserting ``(A)'' after ``(2)''; and
            (2) adding at the end the following:
            ``(B) This clause shall not apply to a gift from a 
        registered lobbyist or an agent of a foreign principal.''.

SEC. 4. TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS AND DISCLOSURE.

    (a) In General.--Paragraph 2 of rule XXXV of the Standing Rules of 
the Senate is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(f)(1) Before a Member, officer, or employee may accept 
transportation or lodging otherwise permissible under this paragraph 
from any person, other than a governmental entity, such Member, 
officer, or employee shall--
            ``(A) obtain a written certification from such person (and 
        provide a copy of such certification to the Select Committee on 
        Ethics) that--
                    ``(i) the trip was not financed in whole, or in 
                part, by a registered lobbyist or foreign agent;
                    ``(ii) the person did not accept, directly or 
                indirectly, funds from a registered lobbyist or foreign 
                agent specifically earmarked for the purpose of 
                financing the travel expenses;
                            ``(iii) the trip was not planned, 
                        organized, or arranged by or at the request of 
                        a registered lobbyist or foreign agent; and
                            ``(iv) registered lobbyists will not 
                        participate in or attend the trip;
            ``(B) provide the Select Committee on Ethics (in the case 
        of an employee, from the supervising Member or officer), in 
        writing--
                    ``(i) a detailed itinerary of the trip; and
                    ``(ii) a determination that the trip--
                            ``(I) is primarily educational (either for 
                        the invited person or for the organization 
                        sponsoring the trip);
                            ``(II) is consistent with the official 
                        duties of the Member, officer, or employee;
                            ``(III) does not create an appearance of 
                        use of public office for private gain; and
                    ``(iii) has a minimal or no recreational component; 
                and
            ``(C) obtain written approval of the trip from the Select 
        Committee on Ethics.
    ``(2) Not later than 30 days after completion of travel, approved 
under this subparagraph, the Member, officer, or employee shall file 
with the Select Committee on Ethics and the Secretary of the Senate a 
description of meetings and events attended during such travel and the 
names of any registered lobbyist who accompanied the Member, officer, 
or employee during the travel, except when disclosure of such 
information is deemed by the Member or supervisor under whose direct 
supervision the employee is employed to jeopardize the safety of an 
individual or adversely affect national security. Such information 
shall also be posted on the Member's official website not later than 30 
days after the completion of the travel, except when disclosure of such 
information is deemed by the Member to jeopardize the safety of an 
individual or adversely affect national security.''.
    (b) Disclosure of Noncommercial Air Travel.--Paragraph 2 of rule 
XXXV of the Standing Rules of the Senate, as amended by subsection (a), 
is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(g) A Member, officer, or employee of the Senate shall--
            ``(1) disclose a flight on an aircraft that is not licensed 
        by the Federal Aviation Administration to operate for 
        compensation or hire, excluding a flight on an aircraft owned, 
        operated, or leased by a governmental entity, taken in 
        connection with the duties of the Member, officer, or employee 
        as an officeholder or Senate officer or employee; and
            ``(2) with respect to the flight, file a report with the 
        Secretary of the Senate, including the date, destination, and 
        owner or lessee of the aircraft, the purpose of the trip, and 
        the persons on the trip, except for any person flying the 
        aircraft.''.
    (c) Public Availability.--Paragraph 2(e) of rule XXXV of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate is amended to read as follows:
    ``(e) The Secretary of the Senate shall make available to the 
public all disclosures filed pursuant to subparagraphs (f) and (g) as 
soon as possible after they are received and such matters shall be 
posted on the Member's official website but no later than 30 days after 
the trip or flight.''.

SEC. 5. POST EMPLOYMENT RESTRICTIONS.

    (a) In General.--Paragraph 9 of rule XXXVII of the Standing Rules 
of the Senate is amended by--
            (1) designating the first sentence as subparagraph (a);
            (2) designating the second sentence as subparagraph (b); 
        and
            (3) adding at the end the following:
    ``(c) If an employee on the staff of a Member or on the staff of a 
committee whose rate of pay is equal to or greater than 75 percent of 
the rate of pay of a Member and employed at such rate for more than 60 
days in a calendar year, upon leaving that position, becomes a 
registered lobbyist under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, or is 
employed or retained by such a registered lobbyist for the purpose of 
influencing legislation, such employee may not lobby any Member, 
officer, or employee of the Senate for a period of 1 year after leaving 
that position.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--This section shall take effect 60 days after 
the date of adoption of this resolution.

SEC. 6. PUBLIC DISCLOSURE BY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS OF EMPLOYMENT 
              NEGOTIATIONS.

    Rule XXXVII of the Standing Rules of the Senate is amended by 
adding at the end the following:
    ``14. A Member shall not directly negotiate or have any arrangement 
concerning prospective private employment until after the election for 
his or her successor has been held, unless such Member files a 
statement with the Secretary of the Senate, for public disclosure, 
regarding such negotiations or arrangements within 3 business days 
after the commencement of such negotiation or arrangement, including 
the name of the private entity or entities involved in such 
negotiations or arrangements, the date such negotiations or 
arrangements commenced, and must be signed by the Member.''.

SEC. 7. PROHIBIT OFFICIAL CONTACT WITH SPOUSE OR IMMEDIATE FAMILY 
              MEMBER OF MEMBER WHO IS A REGISTERED LOBBYIST.

    Rule XXXVII of the Standing Rules of the Senate is amended by--
            (1) redesignating paragraphs 10 through 12 as paragraphs 11 
        through 13, respectively; and
            (2) inserting after paragraph 9, the following:
    ``10. (a) If a Member's spouse or immediate family member is a 
registered lobbyist under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, or is 
employed or retained by such a registered lobbyist for the purpose of 
influencing legislation, the Member shall prohibit all staff employed 
by that Member (including staff in personal, committee and leadership 
offices) from having any official contact with the Member's spouse or 
immediate family member.
    ``(b) In this paragraph, the term `immediate family member' means 
the son, daughter, stepson, stepdaughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, 
mother, father, stepmother, stepfather, mother-in-law, father-in-law, 
brother, sister, stepbrother, or stepsister of the Member.''.

SEC. 8. INFLUENCING HIRING DECISIONS.

    Rule XLIII of the Standing Rules of the Senate is amended by adding 
at the end the following:
    ``6. No Member shall, with the intent to influence on the basis of 
partisan political affiliation an employment decision or employment 
practice of any private entity--
            ``(1) take or withhold, or offer or threaten to take or 
        withhold, an official act; or
            ``(2) influence, or offer or threaten to influence the 
        official act of another.''.
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