BLAKE Act

Bad Lawmakers Accountability and Key Emends Act or the BLAKE Act

This bill prohibits a former Member of Congress from serving as a lobbyist until such former Member reimburses the Treasury for the amount paid as a settlement or award to an employee for a claim alleging harassment based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status, or retaliation for reporting these types of harassment.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 931 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 931

 To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit a former Member of 
Congress from serving as a lobbyist until the former Member has met any 
    obligation imposed on the former Member under the Congressional 
 Accountability Act of 1995 to reimburse the Treasury for amounts paid 
    as settlements and awards under such Act in the case of an act 
               committed personally by the former Member.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 30, 2019

  Mr. Walker introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit a former Member of 
Congress from serving as a lobbyist until the former Member has met any 
    obligation imposed on the former Member under the Congressional 
 Accountability Act of 1995 to reimburse the Treasury for amounts paid 
    as settlements and awards under such Act in the case of an act 
               committed personally by the former Member.

    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 ``Bad Lawmakers Accountability and Key 
Emends Act'' or the ``BLAKE Act''.

SEC. 2. BAN ON LOBBYING BY FORMER MEMBERS OF CONGRESS FAILING TO MEET 
              REQUIREMENT TO REIMBURSE AMOUNTS PAID AS SETTLEMENTS AND 
              AWARDS UNDER CONGRESSIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 1995.

    (a) Ban on Lobbying.--
            (1) Lobbying by former senators.--Section 207(e)(1)(A) of 
        title 18, United States Code, is amended by striking ``within 2 
        years after that person leaves office'' and inserting the 
        following: ``prior to the expiration of the 2-year period which 
        begins on the date that person leaves office or prior to the 
        date by which that person meets any requirement of section 
        415(d) of the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (2 
        U.S.C. 1415(d)) which applies to that person to reimburse the 
        Treasury for certain awards and settlements paid under such Act 
        (whichever occurs later)''.
            (2) Lobbying by former members of the house of 
        representatives.--Section 207(e)(1)(B) of such title is amended 
        by striking ``within 1 year after that person leaves office'' 
        and inserting the following: ``prior to the expiration of the 
        1-year period which begins on the date that person leaves 
        office or prior to the date by which that person meets any 
        requirement of section 415(d) of the Congressional 
        Accountability Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1415(d)) which applies to 
        that person to reimburse the Treasury for certain awards and 
        settlements paid under such Act (whichever occurs later)''.
    (b) Ban on Lobbying on Behalf of Foreign Governments.--Section 
207(f)(1) of such title is amended by striking ``within 1 year after 
leaving the position, office, or employment referred to in such 
subsection'' and inserting the following: ``prior to the expiration of 
the 1-year period which begins on the date that person leaves the 
position, office, or employment referred to in such subsection or, in 
the case of the position of Member of Congress, prior to the date by 
which that person meets any requirement of section 415(d) of the 
Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1415(d)) which 
applies to that person to reimburse the Treasury for certain awards and 
settlements paid under such Act (whichever occurs later)''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply with respect to any individual who, on or after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, leaves an office to which section 207(e) or 
section 207(f) of title 18, United States Code, applies.
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