[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2186 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
109th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2186
To establish a commission to strengthen confidence in Congress.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 25, 2006
Mr. Coleman (for himself, Mr. Nelson of Nebraska, Mr. Allard, Mr. Enzi,
Mr. Burns, Mr. Coburn, and Mr. Thomas) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and
Administration
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a commission to strengthen confidence in Congress.
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 ``Commission to Strengthen Confidence
in Congress Act of 2006''.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMISSION.
There is established in the legislative branch a commission to be
known as the ``Commission to Strengthen Confidence in Congress'' (in
this Act referred to as the ``Commission'').
SEC. 3. PURPOSES.
The purposes of the Commission are to--
(1) evaluate and report the effectiveness of current
congressional ethics requirements, if penalties are enforced
and sufficient, and make recommendations for new penalties;
(2) weigh the need for improved ethical conduct with the
need for lawmakers to have access to expertise on public policy
issues;
(3) determine and report minimum standards relating to
official travel for Members of Congress and staff;
(4) evaluate the range of gifts given to Members of
Congress and staff, determine and report the effects on public
policy, and make recommendations for limits on gifts;
(5) evaluate and report the effectiveness and transparency
of congressional disclosure laws and recommendations for
improvements;
(6) assess and report the effectiveness of the ban on
Member of Congress and staff from lobbying their former office
for 1 year and make recommendations for altering the time
frame;
(7) make recommendations to improve the process whereby
Members of Congress can earmark priorities in appropriations
Acts, while still preserving congressional power of the purse;
(8) evaluate the use of public and privately funded travel
by Members of Congress and staff, violations of Congressional
rules governing travel, and make recommendations on limiting
travel; and
(9) investigate and report to Congress on its findings,
conclusions, and recommendations for reform.
SEC. 4. COMPOSITION OF COMMISSION.
(a) Members.--The Commission shall be composed of 10 members, of
whom--
(1) the chair and vice chair shall be selected by agreement
of the majority leader and minority leader of the House of
Representatives and the majority leader and minority leader of
the Senate;
(2) 2 members shall be appointed by the senior member of
the Senate leadership of the Republican Party, 1 of which is a
former member of the Senate;
(3) 2 members shall be appointed by the senior member of
the Senate leadership of the Democratic Party, 1 of which is a
former member of the Senate;
(4) 2 members shall be appointed by the senior member of
the leadership of the House of Representatives of the
Republican Party, 1 of which is a former member of the House of
Representatives; and
(5) 2 members shall be appointed by the senior member of
the leadership of the House of Representatives of the
Democratic Party, 1 of which is a former member of the House of
Representatives.
(b) Qualifications; Initial Meeting.--
(1) Political party affiliation.--Five members of the
Commission shall be Democrats and 5 Republicans.
(2) Nongovernmental appointees.--An individual appointed to
the Commission may not be an officer or employee of the Federal
Government or any State or local government.
(3) Other qualifications.--It is the sense of Congress that
individuals appointed to the Commission should be prominent
United States citizens, with national recognition and
significant depth of experience in professions such as
governmental service, government consulting, government
contracting, the law, higher education, historian, business,
public relations, and fundraising.
(4) Deadline for appointment.--All members of the
Commission shall be appointed on a date 3 months after the date
of enactment of this Act.
(5) Initial meeting.--The Commission shall meet and begin
the operations of the Commission as soon as practicable.
(c) Quorum; Vacancies.--After its initial meeting, the Commission
shall meet upon the call of the chairman or a majority of its members.
Six members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum. Any vacancy in
the Commission shall not affect its powers, but shall be filled in the
same manner in which the original appointment was made.
SEC. 5. FUNCTIONS OF COMMISSION.
The functions of the Commission are to submit to Congress a report
required by this Act containing such findings, conclusions, and
recommendations as the Commission shall determine, including proposing
organization, coordination, planning, management arrangements,
procedures, rules and regulations--
(1) related to section 3; or
(2) related to any other areas the commission unanimously
votes to be relevant to its mandate to recommend reforms to
strengthen ethical safeguards in Congress.
SEC. 6. POWERS OF COMMISSION.
(a) Hearings and Evidence.--The Commission or, on the authority of
the Commission, any subcommittee or member thereof, may, for the
purpose of carrying out this Act--
(1) hold such hearings and sit and act at such times and
places, take such testimony, receive such evidence, administer
such oaths; and
(2) subject to subsection (b), require, by subpoena or
otherwise, the attendance and testimony of such witnesses and
the production of such books, records, correspondence,
memoranda, papers, and documents, as the Commission or such
designated subcommittee or designated member may determine
advisable.
(b) Subpoenas.--
(1) In general.--A subpoena may be issued under this
subsection only--
(A) by the agreement of the chair and the vice
chair; or
(B) by the affirmative vote of 6 members of the
Commission.
(2) Signature.--Subject to paragraph (1), subpoenas issued
under this subsection may be issued under the signature of the
chairman or any member designated by a majority of the
Commission, and may be served by any person designated by the
chairman or by a member designated by a majority of the
Commission.
(c) Obtaining Information.--Upon request of the Commission, the
head of any agency or instrumentality of the Federal Government shall
furnish information deemed necessary by the panel to enable it to carry
out its duties.
SEC. 7. ADMINISTRATION.
(a) Compensation.--Except as provided in subsection (b), members of
the Commission shall receive no additional pay, allowances, or benefits
by reason of their service on the Commission.
(b) Travel Expenses and Per Diem.--Each member of the Commission
shall receive travel expenses and per diem in lieu of subsistence in
accordance with sections 5702 and 5703 of title 5, United States Code.
(c) Staff and Support Services.--
(1) Staff director.--
(A) Appointment.--The Chair (or Co-Chairs) in
accordance with the rules agreed upon by the Commission
shall appoint a staff director for the Commission.
(B) Compensation.--The staff director shall be paid
at a rate not to exceed the rate established for level
V of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title
5, United States Code.
(2) Staff.--The Chair (or Co-Chairs) in accordance with the
rules agreed upon by the Commission shall appoint such
additional personnel as the Commission determines to be
necessary.
(3) Applicability of civil service laws.--The staff
director and other members of the staff of the Commission shall
be appointed without regard to the provisions of title 5,
United States Code, governing appointments in the competitive
service, and shall be paid without regard to the provisions of
chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of such title
relating to classification and General Schedule pay rates.
(4) Experts and consultants.--With the approval of the
Commission, the staff director may procure temporary and
intermittent services under section 3109(b) of title 5, United
States Code.
(d) Physical Facilities.--The Architect of the Capitol, in
consultation with the appropriate entities in the legislative branch,
shall locate and provide suitable office space for the operation of the
Commission on a nonreimbursable basis. The facilities shall serve as
the headquarters of the Commission and shall include all necessary
equipment and incidentals required for the proper functioning of the
Commission.
(e) Administrative Support Services and Other Assistance.--
(1) In general.--Upon the request of the Commission, the
Architect of the Capitol and the Administrator of General
Services shall provide to the Commission on a nonreimbursable
basis such administrative support services as the Commission
may request.
(2) Additional support.--In addition to the assistance set
forth in paragraph (1), departments and agencies of the United
States may provide the Commission such services, funds,
facilities, staff, and other support services as the Commission
may deem advisable and as may be authorized by law.
(f) Use of Mails.--The Commission may use the United States mails
in the same manner and under the same conditions as Federal agencies
and shall, for purposes of the frank, be considered a commission of
Congress as described in section 3215 of title 39, United States Code.
(g) Printing.--For purposes of costs relating to printing and
binding, including the cost of personnel detailed from the Government
Printing Office, the Commission shall be deemed to be a committee of
the Congress.
SEC. 8. SECURITY CLEARANCES FOR COMMISSION MEMBERS AND STAFF.
The appropriate Federal agencies or departments shall cooperate
with the Commission in expeditiously providing to the Commission
members and staff appropriate security clearances to the extent
possible pursuant to existing procedures and requirements, except that
no person shall be provided with access to classified information under
this Act without the appropriate security clearances.
SEC. 9. COMMISSION REPORTS; TERMINATION.
(a) Annual Reports.--The Commission shall submit--
(1) an initial report to Congress not later than July 1,
2006; and
(2) annual reports to Congress after the report required by
paragraph (1);
containing such findings, conclusions, and recommendations for
corrective measures as have been agreed to by a majority of Commission
members.
(b) Administrative Activities.--During the 60-day period beginning
on the date of submission of each annual report and the final report
under this section, the Commission shall--
(1) be available to provide testimony to committees of
Congress concerning such reports; and
(2) take action to appropriately disseminate such reports.
(c) Termination of Commission.--
(1) Final report.--At such time as a majority of the
members of the Commission determines that the reasons for the
establishment of the Commission no longer exist, the Commission
shall submit to Congress a final report containing information
described in subsection (a).
(2) Termination.--The Commission, and all the authorities
of this Act, shall terminate 60 days after the date on which
the final report is submitted under paragraph (1), and the
Commission may use such 60-day period for the purpose of
concluding its activities.
SEC. 10. FUNDING.
There are authorized such sums as necessary to carry out this Act.
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