S. 1 - A bill to provide greater transparency in the
legislative process/Honest Leadership and Open Government
Act
Full bill text-
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- New transparency for lobbyist bundling and political
campaign fund activity, as well as other financial
contributions – requires disclosure when lobbyists
bundle campaign contributions for any federal elected
official, candidate, leadership PAC or national
political party; and requires lobbyists to detail their
own campaign contributions, and payments to Presidential
libraries, Inaugural Committees or entities controlled
by or named for Members of Congress.
- Greater transparency in earmarking and the
legislative process – requires that all earmarks
included in bills and conference reports, and their
sponsors, be identified on the Internet at least 48
hours before Senate votes; subjects “dead of night”
additions to conference reports to a 60-vote point of
order; requires Senators to certify that they and their
immediate family members have no financial interest in
the earmark; ends the practice of secret Senate holds;
makes conference reports available for public review on
the Internet 48 hours before the vote.
- Lavish convention parties – prohibits Members of
Congress from attending national political convention
parties held in their honor and paid for by lobbyists or
their clients.
- Ends K-Street Project – Prohibits Members of
Congress and their staff from attempting to influence
employment decisions in exchange for political access.
- A strong lobbyist gift ban – prohibits lobbyists and
their clients from giving gifts, including free meals
and tickets, to Senators and their staffs.
- Limits on privately funded travel – bars lobbyists
and their private-sector clients from paying for
multi-day travel trips by Senators and their staffs.
- Restrictions on corporate flights – requires
Senators, Senate candidates and Presidential candidates
to pay charter rates for trips on private planes; bars
House candidates from accepting trips on private planes.
- Strong revolving doors restrictions – prohibits
Senators and their senior staff from gaining undue
lobbying access by increasing the “cooling off” period
for Senators from one to two years before they can lobby
Congress; prohibits senior Senate staff from lobbying
contacts with the entire Senate for one year, instead of
just their former employing office.
- Expands public disclosure of lobbyist activities –
requires lobbyists to file reports on their lobbying
twice as often each year, and for the first time to file
them electronically in a public, searchable database;
and increases civil and criminal penalties for knowingly
and corruptly violating lobbying disclosure rules.
- Congressional Pension Accountability – Denies
Congressional retirement benefits to Members of Congress
who are convicted of bribery, perjury and other similar
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