[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2860 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2860

To amend the Budget Control Act of 2011 to require members and staff of 
 the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to disclose lobbying 
activities and campaign or member-designated political action committee 
                 contributions, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 7, 2011

Mr. Loebsack (for himself, Mr. Quigley, and Mr. Renacci) introduced the 
      following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Rules

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Budget Control Act of 2011 to require members and staff of 
 the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to disclose lobbying 
activities and campaign or member-designated political action committee 
                 contributions, 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 ``Deficit Committee Transparency 
Act''.

SEC. 2. DISCLOSURE OF CERTAIN ACTIVITIES OF MEMBERS AND STAFF OF THE 
              JOINT SELECT COMMITTEE ON DEFICIT REDUCTION.

    Section 401 of the Budget Control Act of 2011 is amended by 
redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (h) and by adding after 
subsection (c) the following new subsections:
    ``(d) Disclosure of Lobbying Activities and Meetings.--
            ``(1) In general.--Any member of the joint committee, and 
        any individual who is on the staff of the committee or on the 
        personal staff of a member of the committee, shall disclose any 
        meeting with any other individual relating to matters before 
        the committee if such individual--
                    ``(A) is a registered lobbyist or agent of a 
                foreign principal as those terms are defined in clause 
                5 of rule XXV of the Rules of the House of 
                Representatives;
                    ``(B) has any direct personal or pecuniary interest 
                in any legislative measure pending before the House of 
                Representatives or the Senate or reported by a 
                committee of either House; or
                    ``(C) 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.
            ``(2) Timing of disclosure.--A meeting shall be disclosed 
        under paragraph (1) within 48 hours after such meeting is held, 
        subject to subsection (f)(2).
    ``(e) Disclosure of Campaign or Member-Designated Political Action 
Committee Contributions.--
            ``(1) In general.--Any member of the joint committee who is 
        a candidate with an authorized committee or who is a candidate 
        or an individual holding Federal office affiliated with a 
        leadership PAC shall disclose any contribution such committee 
        or such leadership PAC receives from an individual, or any 
        entity, which--
                    ``(A) is a registered lobbyist or agent of a 
                foreign principal;
                    ``(B) the authorized committee or leadership PAC, 
                using the best efforts of such committee or PAC, 
                determines is in the employ of or represents any party 
                or organization for the purpose of directly or 
                indirectly influencing the passage, defeat, or 
                amendment of any legislative proposal; or
                    ``(C) makes a single contribution in excess of 
                $500.
            ``(2) Timing of disclosure.--The disclosure required under 
        paragraph (1) shall be made not later than 48 hours after the 
        receipt of the contribution described in such paragraph.
            ``(3) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Authorized committee, candidate, and 
                contribution.--The terms `authorized committee', 
                `candidate', and `contribution' have the meaning given 
                such terms in section 301 of the Federal Election 
                Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 431).
                    ``(B) Foreign principal, lobbyist.--The terms 
                `foreign principal' and `registered lobbyist' have the 
                meaning given such terms in clause 5 of rule XXV of the 
                Rules of the House of Representatives.
                    ``(C) Leadership pac.--The term `leadership PAC' 
                has the meaning given such term in section 304(i)(8) of 
                the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 
                434(i)(8)).
    ``(f) Final Report on Activities & Campaign or Member-Designated 
Political Action Committee Contributions.--
            ``(1) Contents of final report.--Not later than December 2, 
        2011, the joint committee shall submit a report to both Houses 
        of Congress disclosing all information required under 
        subsections (d) and (e) in a final report.
            ``(2) Certain activities posted on website.--(A) Any 
        meeting described under subsection (d) that occurs in the 48-
        hour period immediately preceding the vote required under 
        subsection (b)(3)(B)(i) shall be posted on the official website 
        of the joint committee before such meeting is held and before 
        such vote may occur.
            ``(B) Any meeting described under subsection (d) that 
        occurs in the 48-hour period immediately preceding the 
        submission of the report and legislative language required 
        under subsection (b)(3)(B)(ii) shall be posted to the website 
        before such meeting is held and before such submission may 
        occur.
    ``(g) Official Website.--
            ``(1) Creation of joint committee website.--Before the 
        first meeting of the joint committee, the Co-Chairs shall 
        establish and maintain a website for the joint committee that 
        is available to the public and the contents of which are 
        searchable and sortable.
            ``(2) Content.--The website shall contain information 
        required under subsections (d), (e), and (f) and shall contain 
        such other information the joint committee or its staff deems 
        necessary and beneficial to inform the public of the 
        committee's proceedings, deliberations, and deadlines of the 
        joint committee.
            ``(3) Posting requirements.--Information required to be 
        disclosed under subsections (d), (e), and (f) shall be posted 
        to the website within the timeframe required for disclosure 
        under such subsections.''.

SEC. 3. PUBLICATION OF REPORT AND LEGISLATIVE LANGUAGE PROPOSED BY 
              JOINT COMMITTEE.

    Section 401(b)(3)(B)(iv) of the Budget Control Act of 2011 is 
amended by inserting before the first sentence the following new 
sentence: ``The proposed joint committee report and proposed 
legislative language shall be made available to the public on the 
website of the joint committee at least 72 hours before the vote on 
such measures.''.

SEC. 4. AUDIO AND VISUAL COVERAGE OF JOINT COMMITTEE HEARINGS.

    Section 401(b)(5)(F) of the Budget Control Act of 2011 is amended 
by adding at the end thereof the following new clause:
                            ``(iii) Audio and visual coverage.--
                        Whenever a hearing conducted by the joint 
                        committee is open to the public, those 
                        proceedings shall be open to coverage by audio 
                        and visual means, including in a format that is 
                        streaming on the Internet via the website of 
                        the joint committee.''.
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