[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3491 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3491

 To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit former Members of 
              Congress from engaging in lobbying contacts.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 18, 2011

Mr. Cicilline introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit former Members of 
              Congress from engaging in lobbying contacts.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. PROHIBITION ON LOBBYING CONTACTS BY FORMER MEMBERS OF 
              CONGRESS.

    (a) In General.--Section 207(e) of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended as follows:
            (1) Paragraph (1) is amended to read as follows:
            ``(1) Members of congress.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Any person who is a Senator or a 
                Member of the House of Representatives and who, after 
                that person leaves office, knowingly makes any lobbying 
                contact to a covered executive branch official, or to 
                any Member, officer, or employee of either House of 
                Congress, shall be punished as provided in section 216 
                of this title.
                    ``(B) Definitions.--In this paragraph, the terms 
                `lobbying contact' and `covered executive branch 
                official' have the meanings given those terms in 
                section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 
                U.S.C. 1602(8)).
                            ``(i) The term `lobbying contact'''.
            (2) Paragraph (2) is amended--
                    (A) by striking ``(2) Any person'' and inserting 
                the following:
            ``(2) Officers and certain staff.--
                    ``(A) Officers and staff of the senate.--Any 
                person''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(B) Officers of the house of representatives.--
                (i) Any person who is an elected officer of the House 
                of Representatives and who, within 1 year after that 
                person leaves office, knowingly makes, with the intent 
                to influence, any communication to or appearance before 
                any of the persons described in clause (ii), on behalf 
                of any other person (except the United States) in 
                connection with any matter on which such elected 
                officer seeks action by a Member, officer, or employee 
                of either House of Congress, in his or her official 
                capacity, shall be punished as provided in section 216 
                of this title.
                    ``(ii) The persons referred to in clause (i) with 
                respect to appearances or communications by a former 
                elected officer are any Member, officer, or employee of 
                the House of Representatives.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
apply to individuals who leave office or employment to which such 
amendments apply on or after the date of adjournment of the second 
session of the 112th Congress sine die or December 31, 2012, whichever 
date is earlier.
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