[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 181 (Wednesday, November 13, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S6573]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




AMENDING SECTION 442 OF TITLE 18, UNITED STATES CODE, TO EXEMPT CERTAIN 
  INTERESTS IN MUTUAL FUNDS, UNIT INVESTMENT TRUSTS, EMPLOYEE BENEFIT 
 PLANS, AND RETIREMENT PLANS FROM CONFLICT OF INTEREST LIMITATIONS FOR 
                    THE GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 2851, introduced earlier 
today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 2851) to amend section 442 of title 18, United 
     States Code, to exempt certain interests in mutual funds, 
     unit investment trusts, employee benefit plans, and 
     retirement plans from conflict of interest limitations for 
     the Government Publishing Office.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to proceeding to the 
measure?
  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered 
read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered 
made and laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (S. 2851) was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, 
was read the third time, and passed, as follows:

                                S. 2851

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

     SECTION 1. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE.

       (a) In General.--Section 442 of title 18, United States 
     Code, is amended to read as follows:

     ``Sec. 422. Government Publishing Office

       ``(a) Definitions.--In this section--
       ``(1) the terms `diversified', `employee benefit plan', 
     `holding', `mutual fund', and `unit investment trust' have 
     the meanings given those terms under section 2640.102 of 
     title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor 
     thereto; and
       ``(2) the term `printing-related interest' means an 
     interest, direct or indirect, in--
       ``(A) the publication of any newspaper or periodical;
       ``(B) any printing, binding, engraving, or lithographing of 
     any kind; or
       ``(C) any contract for furnishing paper or other material 
     connected with the public printing, binding, lithographing, 
     or engraving.
       ``(b) Offense.--
       ``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), the 
     Director of the Government Publishing Office shall not, 
     during his or her continuance in office, have any printing-
     related interest.
       ``(2) Exception for mutual funds, unit investment trusts, 
     employee benefit plans, and retirement plans.--It shall not 
     be a violation of paragraph (1) for the Director of the 
     Government Publishing Office to have an interest in a 
     diversified mutual fund, diversified unit investment trust, 
     employee benefit plan, investment fund under the Thrift 
     Savings Plan under subchapter III of chapter 84 of title 5, 
     or pension plan established or maintained by a State 
     government or any political subdivision of a State government 
     for its employees that has 1 or more holdings that are 
     printing-related interests if the fund, trust, or plan does 
     not exhibit a practice of concentrating in printing-related 
     interests.
       ``(c) Penalty.--Whoever violates subsection (b)(1) shall be 
     fined under this title, imprisoned for not more than 1 year, 
     or both.''.
       (b) Technical and Conforming Amendment.--The table of 
     sections for chapter 23 of title 18, United States Code, is 
     amended by striking the item relating to section 442 and 
     inserting the following:

``442. Government Publishing Office.''.

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