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H.R. 5845 115th Congress House

No Couches for Congress Act

Official title: To prohibit Members of the House of Representatives from using their congressional offices for personal overnight accommodations and to amend the Internal Reve… Show full official titleShow less

Official title: To prohibit Members of the House of Representatives from using their congressional offices for personal overnight accommodations and to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow a deduction for living expenses incurred by Members of the House of Representatives, and for other purposes.

Introduced: May 16, 2018 Introduced by: Bennie G. Thompson Democratic · Mississippi See on congress.gov
Congress Congressional operations and organizationGovernment ethics and transparency, public corruptionIncome tax deductionsInflation and pricesMembers of Congress
This bill died when the 115th Congress ended
It never became law before the 115th Congress (2017–2018) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
May 16, 2018
Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Rules, and Ethics, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
May 16, 2018
Introduced in House
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 Latest action May 16, 2018

Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Rules, and Ethics, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

No Couches for Congress Act

This bill amends the Rules of the House of Representatives to: (1) prohibit Members of the House from using congressional offices or official House resources for personal overnight accommodations, and (2) require the House Committee on Ethics to respond to complaints filed by Members of the House.

The bill also amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow Members of the House a deduction of up to $3,000 for living expenses with an adjustment for inflation after 2018.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 3
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 5845: No Couches for Congress Act. 115th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-5845/
MLA
"H.R. 5845: No Couches for Congress Act." 115th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-5845/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 5845, 115th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-5845/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 5845: No Couches for Congress Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-5845/)
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