16 1 (b) Any person requesting a copy of a report under sub 2 section (a) (1) may be required to pay a reasonable fee in 3 an amount necessary to recover the cost of reproduction or 4 mailing of such report excluding any salary of any employee 5 involved in such reproduction or mailing. 6 (c) (1) It shall be unlawful for any person to inspect 7 or obtain a copy of any report 8 9 10 11 12 224 13 14 15 16 any (A) for any unlawful purpose; (B) for any commercial purpose; (C) to determine or establish the credit rating of any individual; (D) to compile any mailing list; or (E) for use directly or indirectly in the solicitation of money for any political, charitable, or other purpose. (2) The Attorney General may bring a civil action in district court of the United States against any person 17 who inspects or obtains such report for any purpose prohib18 ited in paragraph (1). The court in which such action is 19 brought may assess against such individual a penalty in any 20 amount not to exceed $1,000. 21 (d) Reports shall be held and made available to the 22 public under conditions stated in subsection (a) of this sec23 tion for a period of five years after receipt. After such five 24 24 year period, the reports shall be destroyed. 17 1 (e) (1) The House of Representatives, the Senate, the 2 Director of the Administrative Office of the United States 3 Courts, the Chairman of the Civil Service Commission, and 4 the head of each agency shall make provisions to assure that 5 each report shall be reviewed in accordance with any law or 6 regulation with respect to conflicts of interest of confidential 7 financial information of officers or employees of the House 8 of Representatives, the Senate, the United States courts or 9 each such agency or in accordance with rules and regula10 tions as may be prescribed. 11 (f) In the event the custodian of reports which may be 12 released under provisions of this section determines release 13 of a report will be denied he shall make a public statement 14 of the reason for such denial, stating specifically any finding 15 made that no conflict of interest or potential conflict of in16 terest appears in such report. 17 SEC. 9. The Comptroller General shall have access to re18 ports filed with the Civil Service Commission, the Director of 19 the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, the 20 Secretary of the Senate, the Clerk of the House and with 21 executive departments and agencies under provisions of 22 this Act for the purpose of carrying out his statutory 23 responsibilities. 18 1 2 3 RECOMMENDATIONS ON FINANCIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST SEC. 10. The President after consultation with appro4 priate officials in executive, legislative and judicial branches 5 shall make recommendations to Congress on reporting of fi6 nancial disclosures for persons not covered by this Act. 7. Such report shall be made within one hundred and eighty 8 days after approval of this Act. 9 10 SEPARABILITY SEC. 11. If any part of this title is held invalid, the re11 mainder of the title shall not be affected thereby. If any 12 provision of any part of this title, or the application thereof 13 to any person or circumstance, is held invalid, the provisions 14 of other parts and their application to other persons or cir15 cumstances shall not be affected thereby. 16 17 AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS SEC. 12. There are authorized to be appropriated such 18 sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this 19 Act. 95TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 4454 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MARCH 3, 1977 Mr. RODINO introduced the following bill; which was referred jointly to the Committees on the Judiciary, Post Office and Civil Service, Armed Services, and Standards of Official Conduct A BILL To establish a Commission on Ethics and Financial Disclosure for Officers and Employees of the Federal Government, and for other purposes. 1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa 2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 3 That this Act may be cited as the "Federal Ethics and Fi 4 nancial Disclosure Act of 1977.". 5 6 TITLE 1-ETHICAL CONDUCT SEC. 101. This title may be cited as the "Federal Ethics 7 Act of 1977.". 8 9 10 I DEFINITIONS SEC. 102. For purposes of this title: (1) The term "employee" includes the President of the 2 1 United States, the Vice President of the United States, a 2 Member of Congress, an officer designated under section 2104 3 of title 5, an employee designated under section 2105 of title 4 5, an officer or member of a uniformed service, and an officer 5 or employee of the United States Postal Service or the Postal 6 Rate Commission, and special Government employees as 7 defined in section 202 of title 18 of the United States Code. (2) The term agency means any authority of the Gov 8 9 ernment of the United States. 10 11 12 SOLICITATION SEC. 103. An employee shall not solicit or accept any item of value in excess of $50 from any person with whom 13 such individual is involved in the performance of his official 14 duties. 15 16 17 USE OF OFFICIAL POSITION SEC. 104. (a) An employee shall not (i) use or attempt to use his official position, or (ii) disclose or use any infor18 mation obtained through that position to secure any gain, 19 privilege, benefit, exemption or other item of value for— (1) himself, or (2) any other person, unless such use or disclosure is provided by law for the proper performance of his official duties. APPEARANCE OF IMPROPRIETY SEC. 105. An employee shall not engage in any conduct |