TRANSCRIPT

Hoyer on the Republican So-Called Lobbying Reform Bill
May 3, 2006

MR. SPEAKER, WHO DO OUR REPUBLICAN FRIENDS BELIEVE THEY'RE FOOLING, WITH THIS SO-CALLED LOBBYING REFORM BILL? I SUBMIT, NOT A SOUL. CERTAINLY NOT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND CERTAINLY NOT EDITORIAL WRITERS WHO HAVE EXAMINED THIS LEGISLATION. THE "SAN ANTONIO NEWS EXPRESS" CALLS THE BILL A DISGRACEFUL SHAM. THE "PHILADELPHIA ENQUIRER" SAYS THAT THE HOUSE IS JUST PLAYING PRETEND. "THE NEW YORK TIMES" CALLS IT, AND I QUOTE, A SHELL OF RIGHTFUL PLATITUDE BUSY TRANSPARENCY AND INTEGRITY. AND PUBLIC INTEREST GROUPS HAVE DERIVED THIS REPUBLICAN BILL AS A COMPLETE JOKE, A TOTAL SCAM, A PHONY. LET NO ONE HERE BE MISTAKEN, THIS BILL IS NOT DRIVEN BY A DESIRE TO ADDRESS THE MOST SERIOUS LOBBYING AND ETHIC SCANDAL THIS BODY HAS EXPERIENCED IN A GENERATION. I HAVE SAID BEFORE AND I REPEAT, THE FAILURE OF ETHICS AND HONESTY HAVE BEEN OF CONDUCT, NOT OF RULES. BUT RULES CAN BOTH INFORM OF EXPECTATIONS AND PROPRIETY. THE FLAGRANT ABUSES OF CONVICTED FELONS, AND REPUBLICAN LOBBYIST JACK ABRAMOFF HANG OVER THIS HOUSE LIKE A DARK CLOUD. THE K. STREET PROJECT PROUDLY PROMOTED BY TOM DELAY, RICK SANTORUM AND THE REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP, IN WHICH QUID PRO QUO WAS THE BLATANTLY ARTICULATE STANDARD OF CONDUCT IS THE MOST FLAGRANT EXAMPLE OF THE APTLY NAMED CULTURE OF CORRUPTION. THIS EMPTY SHELL OF A BILL IS DRIVEN BY ONE THING, THE MAJORITIES CYNICAL CALCULATION THAT IT WILL NOT PAY A PRICE WITH VOTER THIS IS NOVEMBER FOR FAILING TO TAKE MEANINGFUL STEPS TO END THIS CULTURE OF CORRUPTION. I ASK FOR ONE ADDITIONAL MINUTE. MS. SLAUGHTER: I'D BE PLEASED TO YIELD AN ADDITIONAL MINUTE. MR. HOYER: THE ADOPTION OF THE REFORM PACKAGE, AND I QUOTE, WOULD GET THIS, THE REPEATED INCIDENCES OF RULES OBLIGATION AND CONDUCT BEHIND US. THE ADOPTION OF THIS BILL OR ANY BILL WILL NOT DO THAT. ONLY HONEST, ETHICAL, PRINCIPLED BEHAVIOR OVER A PERIOD OF TIME WILL DO THAT. BUT A STRONG REFORM PACKAGE WOULD HAVE BEEN A START. SADLY, THAT HAS NOT BEEN AN OPTION BEFORE US TODAY. IT DOES NOT DIMINISH OUR MORAL RESPONSIBILITY TO DEMAND AND ENSURE -- LET ME FINISH FY STATEMENT. TO DEMAND AND ENSURE ETHICAL AND HONEST BEHAVIOR BY ALL OF US. NOT AN ENDLESS POLITICAL GAME OF CROSS CLAIMS AND ALLEGATIONS, BUT BY AN ETHICS COMMITTEE THAT DOES NOT SHUN ITS RESPONSIBILITIES AND SIT EMPTY IN THE FACE OF SCANDAL AFTER SCANDAL. THE PEOPLE EXPECT MORE OF US