CONFLICT OF INTERESTS

Bills and resolutions

Biden, Robert H. (Hunter): investigate certain business dealings while Joseph R. Biden, Jr., served as Vice President and whether such dealings resulted in conflicts of interests or affected U.S. foreign policy (see H. Res. 631), H8143 [15OC]

Congress: prohibit Members and senior staff from buying or selling individual stocks and other investments while in office and prohibit Members from serving on corporate boards while in office (see S. 1393), S2770 [9MY]

Courts: increase transparency and oversight of third-party litigation funding in certain actions (see S. 471), S1325 [13FE]

——— require more detailed travel disclosure filings from judicial officers (see S. 2632), S5896 [17OC] (see H.R. 4715), H8226 [17OC]

Dept. of Defense: promote ethics and prevent corruption in contracting and other activities by limiting influence of contractors and foreign entities and ensuring transparency (see S. 1503), S2924 [16MY] (see H.R. 4277), H7596 [10SE]

Dept. of Education: prevent conflicts of interest on higher education accreditation boards (see H.R. 4653), H8111 [11OC]

Dept. of Justice: appoint a Special Counsel for investigation and prosecution of certain Federal offenses (see H.R. 47), H202 [3JA]

Federal employees: prohibit receipt of bonuses from former private sector employers, increase lobbying prohibitions, regulate future private employment by Federal procurement officers, and reduce conflict of interests (see S. 156), S273 [16JA] (see H.R. 599), H674 [16JA]

Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act: include active financial conflicts of interest involving the President, Vice President, or certain family members on USASpending.gov (Internet site) (see S. 1686), S3106 [23MY] (see H.R. 2950), H4161 [23MY]

GPO: exempt certain interests in mutual funds, unit investment trusts, employee benefit plans, and retirement plans from conflict of interest limitations in printing-related interests for position of Director (see S. 2851), S6567 [13NO] (see H.R. 5277), H9221 [3DE]

House Rules: prohibit Members of the House from serving on the boards of for-profit entities (see H. Res. 157), H2314 [28FE]

Lobbyists: provide that a former Member of Congress or congressional employee who receives compensation as a lobbyist for a foreign entity shall not be eligible for retirement benefits or certain other Federal benefits (see H.R. 1022), H1391 [6FE]

——— provide that a former Member of Congress or congressional employee who receives compensation as a lobbyist shall not be eligible for retirement benefits or certain other Federal benefits (see H.R. 3326), H4771 [18JN]

Members of Congress: ban lobbying after leaving office and individual stock ownership and restrict travel benefits and certain perks for former Members (see H.R. 3419), H5036 [21JN]

——— provide that a former Member being paid as a lobbyist is ineligible for Federal retirement or congressional benefits, require posting of financial disclosure reports, and restrict travel benefits (see H.R. 577), H601 [15JA]

——— require disclosure of business ties with foreign entities (see H.R. 1020), H1391 [6FE]

Political campaigns: prohibit a candidate for election to Federal office from using amounts contributed to the candidate’s campaign to make payments to vendors owned or controlled by the candidate (see H.R. 3686), H5583 [10JY]

——— prohibit a congressional candidate from accepting contributions from any political committee other than the candidate’s authorized committee and from establishing a leadership political action committee (see H.R. 4315), H7705 [12SE]

Political ethics: prohibit use of Federal funds or contracting at businesses owned by the President, Vice President, heads of Executive departments, and Members of Congress, or their families (see H.R. 1626), H2583 [7MR]

——— reform certain ethics rules of the Federal Government (see H.R. 1028), H1391 [6FE]

——— require Federal political appointees to sign a binding ethics pledge (see H.R. 209), H208 [3JA] (see H.R. 1523), H2367 [5MR]

——— require the President and Vice President to disclose and divest financial conflicts of interest and require Presidential appointees to recuse themselves from such matters before their agencies (see S. 882), S1987 [26MR]

——— strengthen ethical standards in the Federal Government to prevent Government corruption and ensure transparency and accountability (see H.R. 706), H997 [22JA]

Presidential appointments: prohibit appointment of former fossil fuel company executive officers and lobbyists as head of certain departments (see S. 2935), S6755 [21NO]

——— require certain nominees or appointees to disclose certain types of contributions made or solicited by, or on behalf of, such nominees or appointees (see S. 232), S698 [28JA] (see H.R. 812), H1242 [28JA]

Presidents of the U.S.: require placement of any financial conflicts of interest into a blind trust (see H.R. 2027), H2985 [2AP]

——— require Presidential candidates to develop ethics plans for transition teams (see S. 338), S867 [5FE] (see H.R. 964), H1361 [5FE]

——— require the President and Vice President to divest themselves of certain financial conflicts of interest (see H.R. 1481), H2321 [4MR]

Puerto Rico: require disclosure of connections to debtors, creditors, or parties of interest to debt restructuring by professionals involved in the process of such restructuring (see S. 1675), S3106 [23MY] (see H.R. 683), H719 [17JA]

SEC: improve quality of proxy advisory firms to protect investors and the economy and to foster accountability, transparency, responsiveness, and competition in the industry (see H.R. 5116), H8908 [15NO]

Supreme Court: promulgate a code of conduct and ethics for Justices (see H. Res. 624), H8101 [8OC]

——— promulgate a code of ethics for Justices (see S. 393), S1132 [7FE] (see H.R. 1057), H1460 [7FE]

Trump, President: require annual reports on Federal expenditures made to personal business holdings and regulatory actions that financially benefit the President, his businesses, and those of his close family members (see H.R. 1524), H2367 [5MR]

——— require disclosure of certain visitor access records of the White House or any other location where official business is regularly conducted (see S. 769), S1844 [13MR] (see H.R. 1736), H2716 [13MR]

——— take actions relative to business holdings to ensure compliance with emoluments clause of the Constitution, declare receipt of emoluments a constitutional violation, and require disclosures to Congress (see H. Con. Res. 51), H5265 [28JN]

Ukraine: prohibit involvement of immediate family members of senior U.S. Government officials with Ukrainian entities (see S. 2781), S6391 [5NO]

Letters

Access to documents relative to congressional investigations of prosecutorial and investigatory decisions in Dept. of Justice and FBI investigation of 2016 election: Senator Grassley, Committee on the Judiciary (Senate), S2069 [28MR]

Remarks in House

Contracts: prohibit the President, Vice President, and Cabinet members from contracting with the Federal Government, H5557, H5558 [10JY]

Dept. of Commerce: Office of Inspector General funding, H4894, H4895 [19JN]

Dept. of HHS: require another Senate-confirmed officer within the Dept., to carry out drug price negotiation duties should the Sec. of HHS have a conflict of interest, H10205, H10206 [12DE]

Dept. of Justice: assessment of prosecutorial and investigatory decisions in Dept. of Justice and FBI investigation of 2016 election, H7698–H7700 [12SE], H9162 [21NO]

——— provide full access to certain documents relative to congressional investigations of prosecutorial and investigatory decisions in Dept. of Justice and FBI investigation of 2016 election, H2590 [8MR], H2656 [12MR], H2722, H2737–H2739 [14MR], H2803 [26MR], H2890 [28MR], H2946 [2AP], H3434–H3437 [2MY], H3997 [20MY]

Judicial Conference of the U.S.: implement judicial code of conduct similiar to ethical requirements of Members of Congress, H2528 [7MR]

Political ethics: require Federal political appointees to sign a binding ethics pledge, H1320 [30JA]

Presidents of the U.S.: require Presidential candidates to develop ethics plans for transition teams, H2403 [6MR]

Supreme Court: promulgate a code of ethics for Justices (H.R. 1057), H1559 [13FE]

Trump, President: impeachment, H2373 [6MR], H2652 [12MR], H8787, H8789 [13NO]

——— require disclosure of Federal income tax returns, H1293 [30JA], H3137 [9AP]

——— take certain actions relative to personal business holdings to ensure compliance with emoluments clause of the Constitution while serving as President, H5183 [26JN], H8264 [21OC]

Remarks in Senate

Bernhardt, David: suitability to be Sec. of the Interior relative to alleged efforts to weaken Endangered Species Act, S2397 [10AP]

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (Senate): Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations release of ‘‘Threats to the U.S. Research Enterprise—China’s Talent Recruitment Plans’’ report, S6740 [21NO]

Courts: decision in Donald J. Trump v. Mazars USA, LLP and Committee on Oversight and Reform of the U.S. House of Representatives relative to the release of President Trump’s Federal income tax returns, S6583 [14NO]

Dept. of Justice: provide full access to certain documents relative to congressional investigations of prosecutorial and investigatory decisions in Dept. of Justice and FBI investigation of 2016 election, S2068, S2069 [28MR], S2289–S2291 [8AP], S2349 [10AP]

——— exempt certain interests in mutual funds, unit investment trusts, employee benefit plans, and retirement plans from conflict of interest limitations in printing-related interests for position of Director (S. 2851), S6573 [13NO]

Rosenstein, Rod J.: potential resignation as Deputy Attorney General pending confirmation of William P. Barr as Attorney General, S79 [9JA]

Social Security: provide for transparency in the relationship between physicians and manufacturers of drugs, devices, or medical supplies for which payment is made under certain programs, S1888 [14MR]

Trump, President: impeachment, S6430 [6NO], S6463 [7NO]

——— require disclosure of Federal income tax returns, S2258–S2260 [4AP]

Texts of

H.R. 5277, exempt certain interests in mutual funds, unit investment trusts, employee benefit plans, and retirement plans from conflict of interest limitations in printing-related interests for position of GPO Director, H9210 [3DE]

S. 2851, exempt certain interests in mutual funds, unit investment trusts, employee benefit plans, and retirement plans from conflict of interest limitations in printing-related interests for position of GPO Director, S6569, S6573 [13NO]