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.

#5277 | HR Congress #116

Last Action: Became Public Law No: 116-78. (12/5/2019)

Bill Text Source: Congress.gov

Summary and Impacts
Original Text
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5277 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        H.R.5277

                     One Hundred Sixteenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE FIRST SESSION

          Begun and held at the City of Washington on Thursday,
           the third day of January, two thousand and nineteen


                                 An Act


 
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.

    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.''.


                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.

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