Retirement Forfeiture for Members of Congress Turned Foreign Lobbyists Act
This bill prohibits a former Member of Congress or former senior congressional employee who is a registered lobbyist representing a foreign principal from being eligible for
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2517 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2517
To provide that a former Member of Congress or former senior
Congressional employee who receives compensation as a lobbyist
representing a foreign principal shall not be eligible for retirement
benefits or certain other Federal benefits.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 6, 2023
Mr. Posey introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on
Oversight and Accountability, for a period to be subsequently
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide that a former Member of Congress or former senior
Congressional employee who receives compensation as a lobbyist
representing a foreign principal shall not be eligible for retirement
benefits or certain other Federal benefits.
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 ``Retirement Forfeiture for Members of
Congress Turned Foreign Lobbyists Act''.
SEC. 2. PROHIBITION RELATING TO CERTAIN FEDERAL BENEFITS FOR A FORMER
MEMBER OF CONGRESS OR FORMER SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL
EMPLOYEE WHO RECEIVES COMPENSATION AS A LOBBYIST
REPRESENTING FOREIGN PRINCIPAL.
(a) In General.--A covered individual who is a registered lobbyist
shall not be eligible for any covered benefits for any month--
(1) which begins after the date of the enactment of this
Act; and
(2) in or for which such covered individual is--
(A) employed as a lobbyist who represents a foreign
principal; and
(B) entitled to compensation as a lobbyist who
represents a foreign principal.
(b) Covered Individual.--For purposes of this section, the term
``covered individual'' means an individual who becomes a former Member
of Congress or a former senior Congressional employee after the date of
the enactment of this Act.
(c) Covered Benefits.--For purposes of this section, the term
``covered benefits'', as used with respect to a covered individual,
means any payment or other benefit which is payable, by virtue of
service performed by such covered individual, under any of the
following:
(1) The Civil Service Retirement System, including the
Thrift Savings Plan.
(2) The Federal Employees Retirement System, including the
Thrift Savings Plan.
(3) The Federal Employees Health Benefits Program,
including enhanced dental benefits and enhanced vision benefits
under chapters 89A and 89B, respectively, of title 5, United
States Code.
(4) The Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance Program.
(d) Definitions.--For purposes of this section--
(1) the term ``Member of Congress'' means a Senator, Member
of the House of Representatives, or Delegate to the House of
Representatives, and the Resident Commissioner from Puerto
Rico;
(2) the term ``senior Congressional employee'' means--
(A) each officer or employee of the legislative
branch (except any officer or employee of the
Government Accountability Office) who, for at least 60
days, occupies a position for which the rate of basic
pay is equal to or greater than 120 percent of the
minimum rate of basic pay payable for GS-15 of the
General Schedule;
(B) each officer or employee of the Government
Accountability Office who, for at least 60 consecutive
days, occupies a position for which the rate of basic
pay, minus the amount of locality pay that would have
been authorized under section 5304 of title 5, United
States Code (had the officer or employee been paid
under the General Schedule), for the locality within
which the position of such officer or employee is
located (as determined by the Comptroller General), is
equal to or greater than 120 percent of the minimum
rate of basic pay payable for GS-15 of the General
Schedule; and
(C) at least one principal assistant designated for
purposes of this paragraph by each Member who does not
have an employee who occupies a position for which the
rate of basic pay is equal to or greater than 120
percent of the minimum rate of basic pay payable for
GS-15 of the General Schedule;
(3) the term ``registered lobbyist'' means--
(A) a lobbyist registered or required to register,
or on whose behalf a registration is filed or required
to be filed, under section 4 of the Lobbying Disclosure
Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1603); and
(B) an individual registered or required to
register as the agent of a foreign principal under the
Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended (22
U.S.C. 611 et seq.);
(4) the term ``lobbyist'' has the meaning given such term
by section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C.
1602); and
(5) the term ``foreign principal'' has the meaning given
such term by section 1(b) of the Foreign Agents Registration
Act of 1938 (22 U.S.C. 611(b)).
(e) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be
considered to prevent the payment of--
(1) any lump-sum credit, as defined by section 8331(8) or
8401(19) of title 5, United States Code, to which an individual
is entitled; or
(2) any amount in the account of an individual in the
Thrift Savings Fund which, as of the date on which paragraphs
(1) and (2) of subsection (a) are first met with respect to
such individual, is nonforfeitable.
(f) Regulations.--Any regulations necessary to carry out this
section may be prescribed--
(1) except as provided in paragraph (2), by the Director of
the Office of Personnel Management; and
(2) to the extent that this Act relates to the Thrift
Savings Plan, by the Executive Director (as defined by section
8401(13) of title 5, United States Code).
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
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