What This Bill Does
This bill creates new rules for members of Congress and former members. It restricts former members from lobbying Congress, requires Congress members to fly coach class on official travel, eliminates certain perks for former House members, and reduces House members' pay if a Speaker is not elected on the first day of Congress.
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Who It Affects
Senators and House members, former members of Congress and elected congressional officers, House legislative branch employees, airlines providing services to Congress, and for-profit corporations that members might serve on.
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Key Provisions
* Former members of Congress cannot lobby Congress at any time after leaving office, with penalties enforced under existing law (Sec. 2)
* No government funds can pay for Congress members or legislative branch employees to fly anything other than coach class, with limited exceptions for certain circumstances (Sec. 3)
* Former House members lose access to the Hall of the House, athletic facilities, the Members' Dining Room, parking spaces, and the House document room unless the Speaker and minority leader jointly approve an exception (Sec. 4)
* House members cannot own common stock of individual corporations (Sec. 5)
* House members lose one day's pay for each 24-hour period without an elected Speaker (Sec. 6)
* House members cannot serve on the board of directors of any for-profit company (Sec. 7)
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What Changes
Former members will be prohibited from lobbying Congress permanently after they leave office. Congress members will be required to purchase coach-class airline tickets for official travel starting in fiscal year 2024. Former House members will lose access to House facilities and amenities. House members will be banned from owning individual stocks starting January 3, 2025, and from serving on corporate boards. House members' salaries will be reduced for each day without an elected Speaker.
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Important Definitions
* "Coach-class accommodations" means the basic airline class with the lowest fare, which airlines may call tourist class, economy class, or single class (Sec. 3)
* "Member of Congress" means a Senator, House Representative, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner (Sec. 3)
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Effective Date
* Lobbying prohibition applies to individuals leaving office on or after the bill's enactment date (Sec. 2)
* Airline coach class requirement begins in fiscal year 2024 (Sec. 3)
* Stock ownership ban takes effect immediately before noon on January 3, 2025 (Sec. 5)
* Speaker pay reduction applies starting with the 119th Congress (Sec. 6)
* Board service ban effective date not specified in bill text (Sec. 7)
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 507
To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit former Members and
elected officers of Congress from lobbying Congress at any time after
leaving office, to prohibit the use of funds for official travel expenses
of Members of Congress and legislative branch employees for airline
accommodations other than coach class, to reduce the pay of Members
of the House of Representatives if a Speaker is not elected on the
first day of a Congress, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 25, 2023
Ms. CRAIG introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on the Judi-
ciary, Ethics, Rules, and 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 con-
cerned
A BILL
To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit former
Members and elected officers of Congress from lobbying
Congress at any time after leaving office, to prohibit
the use of funds for official travel expenses of Members
of Congress and legislative branch employees for airline
accommodations other than coach class, to reduce the
pay of Members of the House of Representatives if a
Speaker is not elected on the first day of a Congress,
and for other purposes.
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•HR 507 IH
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Halt Unchecked Mem-
4
ber Benefits with Lobbying Elimination Act’’ or the
5
‘‘HUMBLE Act’’.
6
SEC. 2. PROHIBITING FORMER MEMBERS AND OFFICERS
7
OF CONGRESS FROM LOBBYING CONGRESS.
8
(a) PROHIBITION.—Section 207(e)(1) of title 18,
9
United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
10
‘‘(1) MEMBERS
AND
ELECTED
OFFICERS
OF
11
CONGRESS.—Any person who is a Senator, a Mem-
12
ber of the House of Representatives, or an elected
13
officer of the Senate or the House of Representa-
14
tives and who, after that person leaves office, know-
15
ingly makes, with the intent to influence, any com-
16
munication to or appearance before any Member, of-
17
ficer, or employee of either House of Congress or
18
any employee of any other legislative office of the
19
Congress, on behalf of any other person (except the
20
United States) in connection with any matter on
21
which such former Senator, Member, or elected offi-
22
cial seeks action by a Member, officer, or employee
23
of either House of Congress, in his or her official ca-
24
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•HR 507 IH
pacity, shall be punished as provided in section 216
1
of this title.’’.
2
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 207(e)(2)
3
of such title is amended—
4
(1) in the heading, by striking ‘‘OFFICERS AND
5
STAFF’’ and inserting ‘‘STAFF’’;
6
(2) by striking ‘‘an elected officer of the Senate,
7
or’’;
8
(3) by striking ‘‘leaves office or employment’’
9
and inserting ‘‘leaves employment’’; and
10
(4) by striking ‘‘former elected officer or’’.
11
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by
12
this section shall apply with respect to an individual who
13
leaves office on or after the date of the enactment of this
14
Act.
15
SEC. 3. PROHIBITING USE OF FUNDS FOR OFFICIAL TRAV-
16
EL EXPENSES OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
17
AND LEGISLATIVE BRANCH EMPLOYEES FOR
18
AIRLINE ACCOMMODATIONS OTHER THAN
19
COACH CLASS.
20
(a) PROHIBITION.—Except as provided in subsection
21
(b), no funds appropriated or otherwise made available for
22
the official travel expenses of a Member of Congress or
23
other officer or employee of any office in the legislative
24
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•HR 507 IH
branch may be used for airline accommodations which are
1
not coach-class accommodations.
2
(b) EXCEPTIONS.—Funds described in subsection (a)
3
may be used for airline accommodations which are not
4
coach-class accommodations for an individual described in
5
subsection (a) if the use of the funds for such accommoda-
6
tions would be permitted under sections 301–10.121
7
through 301–10.125 of title 41 of the Code of Federal
8
Regulations if the individual were an employee of an agen-
9
cy which is subject to chapter 301 of such title.
10
(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this Act
11
may be construed to affect any officer or employee of an
12
office of the legislative branch which, as of the date of
13
the enactment of this Act, is subject to chapter 301 of
14
title 41 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
15
(d) DEFINITIONS.—
16
(1) COACH-CLASS ACCOMMODATIONS.—In this
17
Act, the term ‘‘coach-class accommodations’’ means
18
the basic class of accommodation by airlines that is
19
normally the lowest fare offered regardless of airline
20
terminology used, and (as referred to by airlines)
21
may include tourist class or economy class, as well
22
as single class when the airline offers only one class
23
of accommodations to all travelers.
24
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•HR 507 IH
(2) MEMBER OF CONGRESS.—In this Act, the
1
term ‘‘Member of Congress’’ means a Senator or a
2
Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Commis-
3
sioner to, the Congress.
4
(e) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall apply with
5
respect to fiscal year 2024 and each succeeding fiscal year.
6
SEC. 4. BENEFITS AND SERVICES PROVIDED TO FORMER
7
MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTA-
8
TIVES.
9
(a) BENEFITS
AND SERVICES DESCRIBED.—The
10
House of Representatives may not make any of the fol-
11
lowing benefits and services available to an individual who
12
becomes a former Member of the House (except to the
13
extent such benefits and services are made available to
14
members of the public):
15
(1) Access to the Hall of the House.
16
(2) Access to athletic facilities and other facili-
17
ties available for the use of Members of the House.
18
(3) Access to the Members’ Dining Room lo-
19
cated in the House of Representatives wing of the
20
United States Capitol.
21
(4) Access to parking spaces.
22
(5) Access to material from the House docu-
23
ment room.
24
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•HR 507 IH
(6) Use of the collections in the House Legisla-
1
tive Resource Center without borrowing privileges.
2
(b) WAIVER AUTHORITY.—
3
(1) AUTHORITY
TO
WAIVE
ELIMINATION
OF
4
BENEFIT OR SERVICE.—The Speaker and the minor-
5
ity leader of the House of Representatives may joint-
6
ly, on a case-by-case basis, grant a waiver of sub-
7
section (a) with respect to a former Member of the
8
House and a benefit or service described in such
9
subsection.
10
(2)
PUBLICATION
IN
CONGRESSIONAL
11
RECORD.—If the Speaker and the minority leader
12
jointly grant a waiver under paragraph (1) to make
13
a benefit or service available to a former Member,
14
the Speaker and minority leader shall, not later than
15
24 hours after the waiver is granted, cause to have
16
published in the Congressional Record a statement
17
identifying the former Member and the benefit or
18
service involved.
19
SEC. 5. PROHIBITING MEMBERS OF HOUSE OF REPRESENT-
20
ATIVES FROM OWNING INDIVIDUAL STOCKS.
21
(a) IN GENERAL.—Rule XXIII of the Rules of the
22
House of Representatives is amended—
23
(1) by redesignating clause 22 as clause 23;
24
and
25
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•HR 507 IH
(2) by inserting after clause 21 the following:
1
‘‘22. A Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner
2
may not own the common stock of any individual corpora-
3
tion.’’.
4
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by
5
subsection (a) shall take effect immediately before noon
6
on January 3, 2025.
7
SEC. 6. REDUCTION OF PAY OF MEMBERS OF HOUSE IF
8
SPEAKER IS NOT ELECTED.
9
(a) REDUCTION OF PAY.—
10
(1) REDUCTION.—If, by the end of the first day
11
of a Congress, the House of Representatives has not
12
elected a Speaker, the annual rate of pay applicable
13
under section 601(a) of the Legislative Reorganiza-
14
tion Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 4501) with respect to
15
each Member of the House of Representatives for
16
the year shall be reduced by an amount equal to the
17
product of—
18
(A) an amount equal to one day’s worth of
19
pay under such annual rate; and
20
(B) the number of 24-hour periods occur-
21
ring during the Congress during which no
22
Speaker has been elected for the Congress.
23
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•HR 507 IH
(2) EFFECTIVE
DATE.—This subsection shall
1
apply with respect to the One Hundred Nineteenth
2
Congress and each succeeding Congress.
3
(b) RULE FOR ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CON-
4
GRESS.—
5
(1) HOLDING SALARIES IN ESCROW.—If, by the
6
end of the first day of the One Hundred Eighteenth
7
Congress, the House of Representatives has not
8
elected a Speaker, the Chief Administrative Officer
9
of the House of Representatives, or an employee of
10
the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer who is
11
designated by the Chief Administrative Officer to
12
carry out this Act, shall—
13
(A) deposit in an escrow account and ex-
14
clude from the payments otherwise required to
15
be made for the compensation of each Member
16
of the House of Representatives with respect to
17
a pay period during which the House has not
18
elected a Speaker an amount equal to the prod-
19
uct of—
20
(i) the daily rate of pay of the Mem-
21
ber under section 601(a) of the Legislative
22
Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C.
23
4501); and
24
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•HR 507 IH
(ii) the number of 24-hour periods
1
during which no Speaker has been elected
2
for the One Hundred Eighteenth Congress;
3
and
4
(B) release amounts deposited in an es-
5
crow account under subparagraph (A) to such
6
Member of the House of Representatives only
7
upon the expiration of the period described in
8
paragraph (2).
9
(2) PERIOD DESCRIBED.—The period described
10
in this paragraph is the period that—
11
(A) begins on the first day of the One
12
Hundred Eighteenth Congress; and
13
(B) ends on the earlier of—
14
(i) the date on which the House elects
15
a Speaker for the One Hundred Eight-
16
eenth Congress; or
17
(ii) the last day of the One Hundred
18
Eighteenth Congress.
19
(3)
WITHHOLDING
AND
REMITTANCE
OF
20
AMOUNTS FROM PAYMENTS HELD IN ESCROW.—The
21
Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Rep-
22
resentatives, or an employee of the Office of the
23
Chief Administrative Officer who is designated by
24
the Chief Administrative Officer to carry out this
25
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•HR 507 IH
Act, shall provide for the same withholding and re-
1
mittance with respect to a payment deposited in an
2
escrow account under paragraph (1) that would
3
apply to the payment if the payment were not sub-
4
ject to paragraph (1).
5
(4) RELEASE OF AMOUNTS AT END OF THE
6
CONGRESS.—In order to ensure that this subsection
7
is carried out in a manner that shall not vary the
8
compensation of Representatives in violation of the
9
Twenty-seventh Amendment to the Constitution of
10
the United States, the Chief Administrative Officer
11
of the House of Representatives, or an employee of
12
the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer who is
13
designated by the Chief Administrative Officer to
14
carry out this Act, shall release for payment to
15
Members of the House of Representatives any
16
amounts remaining in any escrow account under this
17
section on the last day of the One Hundred Eight-
18
eenth Congress.
19
(c) MEMBER DEFINED.—In this section, the term
20
‘‘Member of the House of Representatives’’ means an indi-
21
vidual serving in a position in the House of Representa-
22
tives which is covered under subparagraph (A), (B), or
23
(C) of section 601(a)(1) of the Legislative Reorganization
24
Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 4501(1)).
25
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•HR 507 IH
SEC. 7. PROHIBITING MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF REP-
1
RESENTATIVES FROM SERVING ON BOARDS
2
OF FOR-PROFIT ENTITIES.
3
Rule XXIII of the Rules of the House of Representa-
4
tives, as amended by section 5(a), is amended—
5
(1) by redesignating clauses 19 through 23 as
6
clauses 20 through 24, respectively; and
7
(2) by inserting after clause 18 the following
8
new clause:
9
‘‘19. A Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner
10
may not serve on the board of directors of any for-profit
11
entity.’’.
12
Æ
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