What This Bill Does
This bill stops former Members of Congress and certain high-ranking congressional employees from receiving federal retirement and health benefits if they become registered lobbyists. The bill applies only to people who leave Congress or senior congressional positions after this law passes.
Who It Affects
Former Members of Congress (senators and representatives) who become registered lobbyists. Former senior congressional employees who become registered lobbyists and earn money as lobbyists. The Office of Personnel Management and other federal agencies that manage retirement and health benefits.
Key Provisions
A covered individual (someone who left Congress after the law passes) who is a registered lobbyist loses eligibility for federal retirement and health benefits for any month they are employed as a lobbyist and receiving payment for that work (Sec. 2(a)).
Covered benefits include payments from the Civil Service Retirement System, the Federal Employees' Retirement System, the Federal Employees' Health Benefits Program, and the Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance Program (Sec. 2(c)).
A "senior congressional employee" means a high-ranking legislative branch officer or employee who held a position with a salary at least 120 percent of the minimum salary for a GS-15 grade position for at least 60 consecutive days (Sec. 2(d)(2)).
A "registered lobbyist" means someone registered under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 or registered as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 (Sec. 2(d)(3)).
The law does not stop the payment of lump-sum credits (one-time payments) owed to individuals or money in their Thrift Savings Plan accounts that cannot be forfeited (Sec. 2(e)).
What Changes
Former Members of Congress and senior congressional employees who become registered lobbyists will no longer receive retirement payments, health insurance benefits, or life insurance benefits while they work as lobbyists. They keep any lump-sum payments and their own contributions to the Thrift Savings Plan account.
Important Definitions
Member of Congress: a Senator, Member of the House of Representatives, Delegate to the House, or Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico.
Senior congressional employee: a high-ranking legislative branch officer or employee earning at least 120 percent of the minimum GS-15 salary for at least 60 consecutive days.
Registered lobbyist: someone required to register under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 or the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938.
Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 2516
To provide that a former Member of Congress or former senior congressional
employee who receives compensation as a lobbyist 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 shall not be eligible for retirement benefits
or certain other Federal benefits.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘End the Congressional
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Revolving Door Act’’.
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•HR 2516 IH
SEC. 2. PROHIBITION RELATING TO CERTAIN FEDERAL
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BENEFITS FOR A FORMER MEMBER OF CON-
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GRESS OR FORMER SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL
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EMPLOYEE WHO RECEIVES COMPENSATION
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AS A LOBBYIST.
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(a) IN GENERAL.—A covered individual who is a reg-
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istered lobbyist shall not be eligible for any covered bene-
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fits for any month—
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(1) which begins after the date of the enact-
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ment of this Act; and
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(2) in or for which such covered individual is—
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(A) employed as a lobbyist; and
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(B) entitled to compensation as a lobbyist.
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(b) COVERED INDIVIDUAL.—For purposes of this
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section, the term ‘‘covered individual’’ means an individual
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who becomes a former Member of Congress or a former
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senior congressional employee after the date of the enact-
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ment of this Act.
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(c) COVERED BENEFITS.—For purposes of this sec-
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tion, the term ‘‘covered benefits’’, as used with respect to
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a covered individual, means any payment or other benefit
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which is payable, by virtue of service performed by such
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covered individual, under any of the following:
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(1) The Civil Service Retirement System, in-
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cluding the Thrift Savings Plan.
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•HR 2516 IH
(2) The Federal Employees’ Retirement Sys-
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tem, including the Thrift Savings Plan.
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(3) The Federal Employees’ Health Benefits
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Program, including enhanced dental benefits and en-
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hanced vision benefits under chapters 89A and 89B,
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respectively, of title 5, United States Code.
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(4) The Federal Employees’ Group Life Insur-
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ance Program.
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(d) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section—
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(1) the term ‘‘Member of Congress’’ means a
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Senator, Member of the House of Representatives,
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or Delegate to the House of Representatives, and
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the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico;
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(2) the term ‘‘senior congressional employee’’
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means—
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(A) each officer or employee of the legisla-
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tive branch (except any officer or employee of
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the Government Accountability Office) who, for
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at least 60 days, occupies a position for which
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the rate of basic pay is equal to or greater than
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120 percent of the minimum rate of basic pay
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payable for GS–15 of the General Schedule;
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(B) each officer or employee of the Govern-
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ment Accountability Office who, for at least 60
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consecutive days, occupies a position for which
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•HR 2516 IH
the rate of basic pay, minus the amount of lo-
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cality pay that would have been authorized
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under section 5304 of title 5, United States
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Code (had the officer or employee been paid
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under the General Schedule) for the locality
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within which the position of such officer or em-
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ployee is located (as determined by the Comp-
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troller General), is equal to or greater than 120
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percent of the minimum rate of basic pay pay-
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able for GS–15 of the General Schedule; and
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(C) at least one principal assistant des-
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ignated for purposes of this paragraph by each
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Member who does not have an employee who
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occupies a position for which the rate of basic
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pay is equal to or greater than 120 percent of
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the minimum rate of basic pay payable for GS–
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15 of the General Schedule;
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(3) the term ‘‘registered lobbyist’’ means—
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(A) a lobbyist registered or required to
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register, or on whose behalf a registration is
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filed or required to be filed, under section 4 of
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the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C.
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1603); and
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(B) an individual registered or required to
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register as the agent of a foreign principal
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•HR 2516 IH
under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of
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1938, as amended (22 U.S.C. 611 et seq.); and
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(4) the term ‘‘lobbyist’’ has the meaning given
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such term by section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure
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Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1602).
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(e) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec-
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tion shall be considered to prevent the payment of—
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(1) any lump-sum credit, as defined by section
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8331(8) or 8401(19) of title 5, United States Code,
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to which an individual is entitled; or
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(2) any amount in the account of an individual
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in the Thrift Savings Fund which, as of the date on
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which paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (a) are
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first met with respect to such individual, is non-
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forfeitable.
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(f) REGULATIONS.—Any regulations necessary to
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carry out this section may be prescribed—
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(1) except as provided in paragraph (2), by the
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Director of the Office of Personnel Management;
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and
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(2) to the extent that this Act relates to the
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Thrift Savings Plan, by the Executive Director (as
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defined by section 8401(13) of title 5, United States
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Code).
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Æ
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