Washington, DC (January 18, 2006) – Today, Congressman Ruben Hinojosa joined House and Senate Democrats in unveiling their “Honest Leadership, Open Government” Act, an aggressive reform package to reverse Congressional excesses and protect the public trust.

“It is clear that we need to seriously enact reforms in Congress,” said Hinojosa.  “The American people are fed up with the way we’re conducting business and while special interests continue to be rewarded, the priorities of the American people fall by the way-side.  Today, we offer real reforms to clean up Washington.” 

The Honest Leadership and Open Government Act will focus reforms on four key areas.

• It  closes the revolving door between government and K Street lobbying firms by strengthening the ban on lobbying by former Members of Congress and senior government officials after they leave to work in the private sector, and requires lawmakers to disclose when they are negotiating private-sector jobs to shine the light on conflicts of interest.

• It makes changes to current gift and travel rules.

• It puts an end to the K Street project, in which Republicans have limited political access to corporations and lobbying firms who hire Republicans and contribute heavily to Republican campaigns.

• It will increase accountability in government, and allow the public to see exactly what their elected representatives are doing in Washington.

“As we consider the state of our union, the good news is we do not have to accept more of the same in 2006,” continued Hinojosa.  “January is a time for coming forward with solutions to solve them. We must restore accountability, honesty and openness at all levels of government. To do so, we will create and enforce rules that demand the highest ethics from every public servant.  We must all work together to put progress ahead of politics.”