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Week Ending February 3, 2006
H RES 648 to eliminate floor privileges and access to Member exercise facilities for registered lobbyists who are former Members or officers of the House.
An opening salvo of forthcoming legislation, the bill clarifies current House rules that regulate lobbyist access to Members and puts the House gymnasium off limits.
Under current law individuals who have “a direct personal or pecuniary interest in pending legislation or is in the employ of an entity attempting to influence the consideration of a legislative proposal” are prohibited from the House Hall and adjoining areas. The Resolution would clarify by reaffirming that those prohibited are “former Members, Delegates, or Resident Commissioners, former Parliamentarians of the House, or former elected officers of the House or former minority employees nominated as elected officers of the House …when that person is a registered lobbyist or agent of a foreign principal.”
Another provision in the Resolution would prohibit registered lobbyists-including those who are spouses of Members or former Members-and agents of foreign entities from access to exercise facilities made available exclusively to Members, former Members, officers, and former officers of the House of Representatives, and their spouses.
Exceptions to the prohibition may include “a joint meeting to receive a message from a foreign head of state, a tour when the House is not in session, or Former Member's Day”.
Sponsor: Rep. David Dreier (R-CA-26th)
Vote: Passed House 379 to 50 February 1, 2006. (RC 3)
Cost to the taxpayers: No discernible cost.
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MORE INFORMATION
RESOLUTION
To eliminate floor privileges and access to Member exercise facilities for registered lobbyists who are former Members or officers of the House.
Resolved,
Clause 4 of rule IV of the Rules of the House of Representatives is amended to read as follows:
`4. (a) A former Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner; a former Parliamentarian of the House; or a former elected officer of the House or former minority employee nominated as an elected officer of the House shall not be entitled to the privilege of admission to the Hall of the House and rooms leading thereto if he or she--
`(1) is a registered lobbyist or agent of a foreign principal as those terms are defined in clause 5 of rule XXV;
`(2) has any direct personal or pecuniary interest in any legislative measure pending before the House or reported by a committee; or
`(3) is in the employ of or represents any party or organization for the purpose of influencing, directly or indirectly, the passage, defeat, or amendment of any legislative proposal.
`(b) The Speaker may promulgate regulations that exempt ceremonial or educational functions from the restrictions of this clause.'.
(a) IN GENERAL- The House of Representatives may not provide access to any exercise facility which is made available exclusively to Members and former Members, officers and former officers of the House of Representatives, and their spouses to any former Member, former officer, or spouse who is a lobbyist registered under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 or any successor statute or agent of a foreign principal as defined in clause 5 of rule XXV. For purposes of this section, the term `Member of the House of Representatives' includes a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to the Congress.
(b) REGULATIONS- The Committee on House Administration shall promulgate regulations to carry out this section.
House Calendar No. 144
109th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 648
[Report No. 109-369, Part I]
RESOLUTION
To eliminate floor privileges and access to Member exercise facilities for registered lobbyists who are former Members or officers of the House.
Reported from the Committee on Rules
Committee on House Administration discharged; referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed
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No reproduction, language translation or distribution without written permission from TheWeekInCongress.com.