Ethics & Lobbying Reform

By electing Democrats to a majority in both the House and Senate during the 110th Congress, the American people spoke clearly of their desire for a government with high ethical standards, transparency, disclosure and accountability. I and my colleagues started working immediately to implement reforms in an effort to break the link between lobbyists and legislators by eliminating the acceptance of gifts, private jets and meals from lobbyists. We passed a rules package that requires more reporting and disclosure by lobbyists and also increased the criminal and civil penalties for violations of the Lobbying Disclosure Act.

Two of the most important pieces of legislation regarding lobbying reform are the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 and the Lobbying Transparency Act. Both of these bills, which I supported, are a step in the right direction for lobbying reform. The Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 would require quarterly instead of semiannual filing of lobbying disclosures reports and the public disclosure of contributions by registered lobbyists. In addition, this legislation would require disclosure by registered lobbyists of all past executive and congressional employment and require lobbyist contributions made in excess of $5,000 to be reported to the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House.

At the beginning of the 110th Congress, Democrats also passed the Lobbying Transparency Act which would establish an online, searchable public database of lobbyist disclosure information, in addition to member travel and personal financial disclosure forms. These bills in conjunction with current House rules have helped to create one of the most ethical, open and honest Congresses in history.

Additionally, on March 11th the Democratically controlled Congress passed a measure that would establish the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) as an independent office within the House of Representatives. This office would be led by a panel of six board members appointed jointly by the House Speaker and the Minority Leader. In addition, this legislation requires public disclosure at key stages in the ethics process with reasonable timeframes for action. This office will bring greater accountability and transparency to ethics enforcement. It directly responds to the demands of the public, with assurances that credible allegations of wrongdoing will be examined by the Ethics Committee.

It is of utmost importance that our nation’s government upholds strong ethical boundaries and represents their constituents in an honorable manner. I am greatly troubled each time I hear of my colleagues engaging in an unscrupulous act. Rest assured, I will work diligently to uphold the integrity of the House of Representatives and strongly support punitive measures for any member guilty of violating the trust placed in us by the American people.

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