§ 4726 — Guidelines Relating To Restrictions On Registered Lobbyist Participation In Travel And Disclosure

(1) Except as provided in paragraph (4) and not later than 60 days after September 14, 2007, and at annual intervals thereafter, the Select Committee on Ethics shall develop and revise, as necessary— (A) on evaluating a trip proposal and judging the reasonableness of an expense or expenditure, including guidelines related to evaluating— (i) the stated mission of the organization sponsoring the trip; (ii) the organization’s prior history of sponsoring congressional trips, if any; (iii) other educational activities performed by the organization besides sponsoring congressional trips; (iv) whether any trips previously sponsored by the organization led to an investigation by the Select Committee on Ethics; (v) whether the length of the trip and the itinerary is consistent with the official purpose of the trip; (vi) whether there is an adequate connection between a trip and official duties; (vii) the reasonableness of an amount spent by a sponsor of the trip; (viii) whether there is a direct and immediate relationship between a source of funding and an event; and (ix) any other factor deemed relevant by the Select Committee on Ethics; and (B) regulations describing the information it will require individuals subject to the requirements of the amendments made by subsection (a) 1 to submit to the committee in order to obtain the prior approval of the committee for travel under paragraph 2 of rule XXXV of the Standing Rules of the Senate, including any required certifications. (2) In developing and revising guidelines under paragraph (1)(A), the committee shall take into account the maximum per diem rates for official Federal Government travel published annually by the General Services Administration, the Department of State, and the Department of Defense. (3) For purposes of this section, travel on a flight described in paragraph 1(c)(1)(C)(ii) of rule XXXV of the Standing Rules of the Senate shall not be considered to be a reasonable expense. (4) The deadline for the initial guidelines required by paragraph (1) may be extended for 30 days by the Committee on Rules and Administration.