Washington, D.C. — Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration with oversight of campaign finance laws, reintroduced the Close the Revolving Door Act and the Zeroing Out Money for Buying Influence after Elections (ZOMBIE) Act to prevent elected officials from lobbying or misusing campaign funds after leaving office. The Close the Revolving Door Act would ban members of Congress from ever becoming lobbyists, increase transparency and accountability, and shut the revolving door of influence in Washington. The ZOMBIE Act would require politicians to close their campaign accounts if they are no longer running for federal office and before registering as a lobbyist or foreign agent.
“Members of Congress should spend their time serving the American people, not preparing to buy and sell their influence,” said Bennet. “This legislation will hold elected officials accountable and end Washington’s corrupt ‘pay-to-play’ politics. By banning members of Congress from lobbying or using their leftover campaign donations after they leave office, we can begin to restore the American people’s faith in our government.”
Close the Revolving Door Act Background
Bennet first introduced the Close the Revolving Door Act in 2010 to combat the outsized influence of special interests and lobbyists in Washington. More than 460 former members of Congress are currently employed by lobbying firms, according to research from the Center for Responsive Politics.
The Close the Revolving Door Act would:
- Increase the statutory staff restrictions on lobbying from one year to six years;
- Ban lobbyists from working for Members of Congress and Committees with whom they had a substantial lobbying contact for a period of six years;
- Require lobbying firms to file with Congress a list of any employee who provides paid consulting services who is:
- A former Senator or Representative; or
- A former congressional staff member who made at least $100,000 in any one year; worked for a total of four years or more as a congressional staff member; or held a senior staff position in Congress;
- Create a website entitled “lobbyists.gov” that will provide easily searchable disclosures on lobbying activities; and
- Increase penalties for violating the Lobbying Disclosure Act from $200,000 to $500,000.
The text of the bill is available HERE.
ZOMBIE Act Background
When politicians retire or lose elections, they often have significant leftover funds in their campaign accounts. These “zombie accounts” are ripe for abuse. When politicians take jobs as lobbyists or foreign agents, they often donate leftover campaign funds to policymakers with jurisdiction over areas of interest to their new employer. These zombie accounts are overlooked instruments of pay-to-play politics and corruption that are overdue for reform.
The ZOMBIE Act would:
- Require that politicians close their campaign accounts within six months if they do not file to run in the next federal election for that office, or the next election for another federal office. This would apply to both their personal campaign committees and leadership PACs;
- Require politicians to close their campaign accounts before registering as a lobbyist or a foreign agent;
- Give politicians the option to return unspent funds in their campaign account or leadership PACs to donors, the U.S. Treasury, or a charity that does not employ themselves or members of their family; and
- Prevent politicians from using unspent campaign funds to start their own organization.
The text of the bill is available HERE.
Both the Close the Revolving Door Act and the ZOMBIE Act are endorsed by the Campaign Legal Center, Public Citizen, and End Citizens United / Let America Vote Action Fund. The ZOMBIE Act is also endorsed by Common Cause.
Bennet is a leading advocate for restoring trust in our elections and government. In 2018, he introduced the Curtailing Lobbyists and Empowering Americans for a New (CLEAN) Politics Act to curb pay-to-play politics and limit the undue access and influence of lobbyists in Washington. In 2019, he introduced a constitutional amendment to reverse Citizens United by restoring authority to Congress, states, and the American people to regulate campaign finance. In 2023, Bennet reintroduced the DISCLOSE Act to shine a light on the influence of dark money in U.S. politics and elections and the Freedom to Vote Act to improve Americans’ access to the ballot, invest in state election infrastructure, strengthen campaign finance disclosure requirements, and ensure our elections are free from interference. This month, Bennet introduced the STABLE GENIUS Act to prevent elected officials and federal candidates from issuing or endorsing digital assets, while also preventing officials from making legislative or policy decisions influenced by the digital assets they hold.