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Ethics & Lobbying Reform
Congresswoman Solis supports the Honest Leadership and Open Government bill,
comprehensive legislation to reinvigorate Congressional ethics rules and
institute broad-based lobbying reforms to ensure that the representatives
of the people are operating in the people’s interest, not the special
interests.
The Honest Leadership and Open Government bill would:
-Limit Gifts and Travel:
Bans gifts, including meals, tickets, entertainment
and travel, from lobbyists and non-governmental organizations that
retain or employ lobbyists; prohibits lobbyists from funding, arranging,
planning, or participating in congressional travel.
- Regulate Member Travel on Private Jets:
Requires Members to pay full
charter costs when using corporate jets for official travel and to
disclose relevant information in the Congressional Record, including
the owner or lessee of the aircraft and the other passengers on the
flight.
-Shut Down the K Street Project: Makes it a criminal offense and a
violation of the House Rules for Members to take or withhold official
action, or threaten to do so, with the intent to influence private
employment decisions.
- Slow the Revolving Door:
Prohibits former Members, executive branch
officials and senior staff from lobbying their former colleagues for
years; eliminates floor and gym privileges for former Members and officers
who are lobbyists; and requires Members and senior staff to disclose
outside job negotiations.
- End the Practice of Adding Special
Interest Provisions in the Dead of Night: Prohibits consideration of conference reports and other legislation
not available in printed form and on the Internet for at least 24 hours;
requires full and open debate in conference and a vote by the conferees
on the final version of the legislation; prohibits consideration of
a conference report that contains matters different from what the conferees
voted on.
- Toughen Public Disclosure of Lobbying
Activities:
Requires lobbyists
to file quarterly reports with more information, including campaign
contributions, fundraisers and other events that honor Members, and
the name of each Member contacted. Reports must be in electronic format,
searchable on the Internet; increases civil and criminal penalties
for lobbyists who violate the rules.
- Close the Grassroots Gap:
Expands reporting to include paid grassroots
lobbying activities directed at the general public (rather than at
an organization’s members), while protecting the privacy of unpaid
citizen lobbyists.
- Slam the Back Door Shut:
Prevents secret “back-door lobbying” by
requiring members of lobbying coalitions to report their involvement
and requiring disclosure of the organizations that provide financial
support to lobbying associations.
- Establish a New Office of Public Integrity
Under the Inspector General of the House:
Charges the office with auditing and investigating compliance
with lobbying disclosure rules and, if necessary, referring matters
to the United States Attorney.
- Promote Open Government:
Mandates public disclosure of which Members
sponsor earmarks and disclosure of whether Members have a financial
interest in the earmark; prohibits any Member from offering or withholding
an earmark to influence how another Member votes.
- Curb Abuses of Power:
Stops the practice of keeping votes open to
twist arms and lobby Members on the floor of the House; ends 2 day
work weeks; ends practice of House leadership rewriting measures reported
from Committees without allowing the House to vote on the committee-reported
version.
- Prevent Cronyism and Corrupt Contracting:
Requires government public
safety officials to possess proven credentials and experience; restores
accountability and openness in federal contracting; imposes stiff criminal
and civil penalties on contractors who cheat taxpayers or engage in
wartime profiteering; prohibits contractor conflicts of interest; closes
the revolving door between government and contractors; and requires
full disclosure of contract overcharges.
- Bring Transparency to Presidential
Library Funding:
Requires public
reporting of contributions to organizations established to raise funds
for presidential libraries.
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