UPDATE: A Full Investigation is Needed Into HUD Contracting Under Secretary Jackson

On January 18th of 2006, Democrats from across the country  unveiled their Honest Leadership and Open Government Act.  In the Great Hall of the Library of Congress, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid were joined by Senator Barack Obama and Congresswoman Louise Slaughter and their Senate and House colleagues to shine a spotlight on the Republican “pay for play” politics that put special interests first at the expense of the priorities of the American people, and sign a pledge to restore honest leadership and open government.

The Honest Leadership and Open Government Act is a comprehensive government reform plan that will clean up and protect the government from the Republican culture of corruption and quid pro quo politics.  The Act will 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 Act offers the following reforms:

Limits 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.

Regulates 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.

Shuts 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.

Slows 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.

Ends 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.

Toughens 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.

Closes 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.

Slams 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.

Establishes 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.

Promotes 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.

Curbs 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.

Prevents 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.

Brings Transparency to Presidential Library Funding:  Requires public reporting of contributions to organizations established to raise funds for presidential libraries.