[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3974 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3974

  To limit the use of taxpayer dollars on non-commercial flights for 
               cabinet officials, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 5, 2017

 Mr. Aguilar introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
              Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To limit the use of taxpayer dollars on non-commercial flights for 
               cabinet officials, 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 ``Justifiable and Efficient 
Transportation Substitutes Act'' or the ``JETS Act''.

SEC. 2. LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS ON NON-COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS FOR 
              CABINET OFFICIALS.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, no Federal funds 
appropriated or otherwise made available in any fiscal year may be used 
for purposes of paying the travel expenses of any cabinet official on a 
non-commercial, private, chartered flight, or on any plane owned, 
operated, chartered, rented, or leased by the Government until the date 
that the guidelines described in section 3 have been published.
    (b) Definition of Cabinet Official.--In this Act, the term 
``cabinet official'' means any individual occupying a position listed 
in section 5312 of title 5, United States Code, but does not include 
the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of 
Defense, the Attorney General, or the Director of National 
Intelligence.

SEC. 3. GUIDANCE ON TRAVEL BY CABINET OFFICIALS.

    (a) Guidance.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the President shall cause to be published in the Federal 
Register guidelines under which travel otherwise prohibited under 
section 2 by a cabinet official is permissible.
    (b) Requirements.--The guidelines required under subsection (a) 
shall comply with the following:
            (1) Scheduling requirements may not be used as a basis for 
        determining that the otherwise prohibited travel is necessary, 
        except--
                    (A) for travel to or from a region covered by a 
                declaration of an emergency or major disaster pursuant 
                to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
                Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.); or
                    (B) for reasons of national security.
            (2) The unavailability of commercially available flights, 
        with an accompanying written finding issued on a case-by-case 
        basis by the President or the Chief of Staff to the President, 
        may be a permissible basis for determining the otherwise 
        prohibited travel is necessary. Any written finding issued 
        under the preceding sentence shall be published on the General 
        Service Administration's public website within 30 days of 
        issuance, except with respect to any travel the purposes of 
        which is classified.
            (3) The guidelines may not provide for any comprehensive 
        waiver for any cabinet official.

SEC. 4. DISCLOSURE OF TRAVEL BY CABINET OFFICIALS.

    (a) Disclosure.--
            (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), 
        beginning on the date the guidelines are published under 
        section 3, any travel otherwise prohibited by section 2(a) by a 
        cabinet official shall be disclosed to the Administrator of 
        General Services on a quarterly basis.
            (2) Classified travel.--With respect to any travel the 
        purposes of which is classified, the travel shall be disclosed 
        within 60 days to the Permanent Select Committee on 
        Intelligence of the House of Representatives, the Select 
        Committee on Intelligence of the Senate, the subcommittee on 
        defense of the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
        Representatives, and the subcommittee on defense of the 
        Committee on Appropriations of the Senate. Nothing in this Act 
        shall be construed to supersede, alter, or otherwise affect the 
        application of section 101-37.408 of title 41, Code of Federal 
        Regulations, or any successor regulation.
    (b) Publication.--The Administrator shall publish detailed 
information, including among other pertinent information the 
justification for the mode of travel and the identities of all 
passengers, regarding any flight disclosed under subsection (a)(1) on 
the General Service Administration's public website not later than 30 
days after the date the Administrator receives such information.
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