December 3, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 192 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Pages H9209-H9210]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 EXEMPTING CERTAIN INTERESTS IN MUTUAL FUNDS, UNIT INVESTMENT TRUSTS, 
EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS, AND RETIREMENT PLANS FROM CONFLICT OF INTEREST 
                              LIMITATIONS

  Ms. LOFGREN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of 
the bill (H.R. 5277) to amend section 442 of title 18, United States 
Code, to exempt certain interests in mutual funds, unit investment 
trusts, employee benefit plans, and retirement plans from conflict of 
interest limitations for the Government Publishing Office, and ask for 
its immediate consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Davids of Kansas). Is there objection to

[[Page H9210]]

the request of the gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5277

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE.

       (a) In General.--Section 442 of title 18, United States 
     Code, is amended to read as follows:

     ``Sec. 442. Government Publishing Office

       ``(a) Definitions.--In this section--
       ``(1) the terms `diversified', `employee benefit plan', 
     `holdings', `mutual fund', and `unit investment trust' have 
     the meanings given those terms under section 2640.102 of 
     title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor 
     thereto; and
       ``(2) the term `printing-related interest' means an 
     interest, direct or indirect, in--
       ``(A) the publication of any newspaper or periodical;
       ``(B) any printing, binding, engraving, or lithographing of 
     any kind; or
       ``(C) any contract for furnishing paper or other material 
     connected with the public printing, binding, lithographing, 
     or engraving.
       ``(b) Offense.--
       ``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), the 
     Director of the Government Publishing Office, Deputy Director 
     of the Government Publishing Office, nor any of their 
     assistants as determined by the Director of the Government 
     Publishing Office shall not, during his or her continuance in 
     office, have any printing-related interest.
       ``(2) Exception for mutual funds, unit investment trusts, 
     employee benefit plans, and retirement plans.--It shall not 
     be a violation of paragraph (1) for an individual who is 
     described in such paragraph to have an interest in a 
     diversified mutual fund, diversified unit investment trust, 
     employee benefit plan, investment fund under the Thrift 
     Savings Plan under subchapter III of chapter 84 of title 5, 
     or pension plan established or maintained by a State 
     government or any political subdivision of a State government 
     for its employees that has 1 or more holdings that are 
     printing-related interests if the fund, trust, or plan does 
     not exhibit a practice of concentrating in printing-related 
     interests.
       ``(3) Authority of supervising ethics office.--The 
     supervising ethics office for the Government Publishing 
     Office under the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. 
     App) shall have the authority to issue rules and promulgate 
     regulations governing the implementation of this subsection.
       ``(c) Penalty.--Whoever violates subsection (b)(1) shall be 
     fined under this title, imprisoned for not more than 1 year, 
     or both.''.
       (b) Technical and Conforming Amendment.--The table of 
     sections for chapter 23 of title 18, United States Code, is 
     amended by striking the item relating to section 442 and 
     inserting the following:

``442. Government Publishing Office.''.

  The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, was read 
the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the 
table.

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