H.R. 1, the For The People Act introduced in the House yesterday, includes new restrictions for Federal employees on participating in work related to their former private sector employers, and stronger restrictions on government personnel leaving for private sector employment.
The bill includes a provision to prohibit employees from working on any matter “in which the covered employee knows a former employer or former client of the covered employee has a financial interest” for two years. While agency heads can grant waivers for this requirement, those waivers must be publicly posted on the agency’s website. The bill also details procedures for procurement officers, noting that they cannot “be personally and substantially involved” in any matter regarding their former employer for two years. Procurement officers must also disclose when a client makes a job offer to a relative.
The bill also extends the current one-year restriction on working on matters involving a former agency to a two-year restriction for senior personnel. The bill also extends the two-year ban for former procurement officers leaving the government by prohibiting them from working on any contract they were previously involved with.
“This bill includes a number of reforms that will strengthen accountability for executive branch officials – including the President. I look forward to passing these strong reforms proposed in H.R. 1,” said Elijah Cummings, D-M.D., chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee.
The bill has been referred to multiple House committees for review and approval.