[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5946 Introduced in House (IH)]
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115th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5946
To provide that Members of Congress shall not be paid if Congress has
not approved a concurrent resolution on the budget and passed the
regular appropriations bills on a timely basis, to eliminate automatic
pay adjustments for Members of Congress, to prohibit the use of funds
provided for the official travel expenses of Members of Congress and
other officers and employees of the legislative branch for first-class
airline accommodations, to establish a lifetime ban on lobbying by
former Members of Congress, to prohibit consideration in the House of
Representatives of measures lacking demonstrable bipartisan support,
and for other purposes.
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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 23, 2018
Mrs. Murphy of Florida (for herself and Mr. Fitzpatrick) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House
Administration, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight and
Government Reform, the Judiciary, and Rules, 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 Members of Congress shall not be paid if Congress has
not approved a concurrent resolution on the budget and passed the
regular appropriations bills on a timely basis, to eliminate automatic
pay adjustments for Members of Congress, to prohibit the use of funds
provided for the official travel expenses of Members of Congress and
other officers and employees of the legislative branch for first-class
airline accommodations, to establish a lifetime ban on lobbying by
former Members of Congress, to prohibit consideration in the House of
Representatives of measures lacking demonstrable bipartisan support,
and for other purposes.
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 ``Foster Accountability, Integrity,
Trust, and Honor in Congress Act'' or the ``FAITH in Congress Act''.
SEC. 2. PROHIBITING COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS FOR FAILURE TO
AGREE TO BUDGET RESOLUTION OR PASS REGULAR APPROPRIATIONS
BILLS ON TIMELY BASIS.
(a) Failure To Agree to Budget Resolution.--
(1) Prohibiting compensation.--If by April 15 of any
calendar year occurring during a Congress (beginning with the
One Hundred Sixteenth Congress), both Houses of Congress have
not agreed to a concurrent resolution on the budget pursuant to
section 301 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 for the
fiscal year which begins on October 1 of that year, no Member
of Congress may receive compensation with respect to the period
described in paragraph (2).
(2) Period described.--The period described in this
paragraph is the period which begins on April 16 of the
calendar year and ends on the day on which both Houses of
Congress agree to a concurrent resolution on the budget for the
fiscal year which begins on October 1 of that year.
(b) Failure To Pass Regular Appropriation Bills.--
(1) Prohibiting compensation.--If by September 30 of any
calendar year occurring during a Congress (beginning with the
One Hundred Sixteenth Congress), both Houses of Congress have
not passed each of the regular appropriation bills for the
fiscal year which begins on October 1 of that year, no Member
of Congress may receive compensation with respect to the period
described in paragraph (2).
(2) Period described.--The period described in this
paragraph is the period which begins on October 1 of the
calendar year and ends on the first day by which both Houses of
Congress have passed each of the regular appropriation bills
for the fiscal year which begins on October 1 of that year.
(3) Regular appropriation bill defined.--The term ``regular
appropriation bill'' means any annual appropriation bill which,
with respect to the Congress involved, is under the
jurisdiction of a single subcommittee of the Committee on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives (pursuant to the
Rules of the House of Representatives for that Congress) and a
single subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations of the
Senate (pursuant to the Standing Rules of the Senate).
(c) Treatment of Delegates as Members; Exclusion of Vice
President.--In this section, the term ``Member of Congress'' includes a
Delegate or Resident Commissioner to the Congress but does not include
the Vice President.
SEC. 3. ELIMINATION OF AUTOMATIC PAY ADJUSTMENTS FOR MEMBERS OF
CONGRESS.
(a) In General.--Paragraph (2) of section 601(a) of the Legislative
Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 4501(2)) is repealed.
(b) Conforming Amendments.--Section 601(a)(1) of such Act (2 U.S.C.
4501) is amended--
(1) by striking ``(a)(1)'' and inserting ``(a)'';
(2) by redesignating subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) as
paragraphs (1), (2), and (3), respectively; and
(3) by striking ``, as adjusted by paragraph (2) of this
subsection''.
(c) Effective Date.--This section and the amendments made by this
section shall take effect December 31, 2018.
SEC. 4. PROHIBITING USE OF FUNDS FOR OFFICIAL TRAVEL EXPENSES OF
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND LEGISLATIVE BRANCH EMPLOYEES FOR
AIRLINE ACCOMMODATIONS OTHER THAN COACH-CLASS.
(a) Prohibition.--Except as provided in subsection (b), no funds
appropriated or otherwise made available for the official travel
expenses of a Member of Congress or other officer or employee of any
office in the legislative branch may be used for airline accommodations
which are not coach-class accommodations.
(b) Exceptions.--Funds described in subsection (a) may be used for
airline accommodations which are not coach-class accommodations for an
individual described in subsection (a) if the use of the funds for such
accommodations would be permitted under sections 301-10.121 through
301-10.125 of title 41 of the Code of Federal Regulations if the
individual were an employee of an agency which is subject to chapter
301 of such title.
(c) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section may be construed
to affect any officer or employee of an office of the legislative
branch which, as of the date of the enactment of this Act, is subject
to chapter 301 of title 41 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
(d) Definitions.--
(1) Coach-class accommodations.--In this section, the term
``coach-class accommodations'' means the basic class of
accommodation by airlines that is normally the lowest fare
offered regardless of airline terminology used, and (as
referred to by airlines) may include tourist class or economy
class, as well as single class when the airline offers only one
class of accommodations to all travelers.
(2) Member of congress.--In this section, the term ``Member
of Congress'' means a Senator or a Representative in, or
Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress.
(e) Effective Date.--This section shall apply with respect to
fiscal year 2019 and each succeeding fiscal year.
SEC. 5. PROHIBITING FORMER MEMBERS AND OFFICERS OF CONGRESS FROM
LOBBYING CONGRESS.
(a) Prohibition.--Section 207(e)(1) of title 18, United States
Code, is amended to read as follows:
``(1) Members and elected officers of congress.--Any person
who is a Senator, a Member of the House of Representatives, or
an elected officer of the Senate or the House of
Representatives and who, after that person leaves office,
knowingly makes, with the intent to influence, any
communication to or appearance before any Member, officer, or
employee of either House of Congress or any employee of any
other legislative office of the Congress, on behalf of any
other person (except the United States) in connection with any
matter on which such former Senator, Member, or elected
official seeks action by a Member, officer, or employee of
either House of Congress, in his or her official capacity,
shall be punished as provided in section 216 of this title.''.
(b) Conforming Amendments.--Section 207(e)(2) of such title is
amended--
(1) in the heading, by striking ``Officers and staff'' and
inserting ``Staff'';
(2) by striking ``an elected officer of the Senate, or'';
(3) by striking ``leaves office or employment'' and
inserting ``leaves employment''; and
(4) by striking ``former elected officer or''.
(c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall
apply with respect to an individual who leaves office on or after the
date of the enactment of this Act.
SEC. 6. PROHIBITING CONSIDERATION IN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF
MEASURES LACKING DEMONSTRABLE BIPARTISAN SUPPORT.
(a) Amendment to Rules of House of Representatives.--Rule XIV of
the Rules of the House of Representatives is amended by adding at the
end the following new clause:
``7. It shall not be in order in the House of Representatives or in
the Committee on the Whole House on the State of the Union to consider
a bill, joint resolution, resolution, or conference report unless the
measure involved has demonstrable bipartisan support in the form in
which it is to be considered.''.
(b) Sense of the House Regarding Majority Party Protocols and
Procedures.--It is the sense of the House of Representatives that the
majority party of the House should ensure that its protocols and
procedures applicable to the consideration of measures by the House are
consistent with the requirements of clause 7 of rule XIV of the Rules
of the House of Representatives (as added by subsection (a)).
(c) Exercise of Rulemaking Powers.--The provisions of this section
are enacted--
(1) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the House of
Representatives, and as such they shall be considered as part
of the rules of the House, and such rules shall supersede other
rules only to the extent that they are inconsistent therewith;
and
(2) with full recognition of the constitutional right of
the House of Representatives to change such rules (so far as
relating to the House) at any time, in the same manner, and to
the same extent as in the case of any other rule of the House.
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