WASHINGTON  -  U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson (MO-08) today cast her vote in favor of a legislative proposal to impose tougher restrictions on lobbying Congress and the Congressional earmark process.  Though the bill was approved in the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 217-213, Emerson thinks the proposal still needs considerable work.

 

“There are a lot of holes in the dam that need to be plugged, and this bill only plugs some of them,” Emerson said.  “This bill is a starting point, and our next steps are very important.  Before we can truly call this measure ‘reform,’ Congress must add provisions to restrict corporate air travel, create more disclosure by lobbyists who interact with lawmakers, and apply the same standards on earmarks to every committee under the Capitol dome.”

 

Specifically, Emerson supports transparency on every earmarked project that is considered by Congress.  The Appropriations Committee, of which Emerson is a member, has been bogged down in recent years by tens of thousands of requests.

 

“We ought to raise the standards of transparency for all members of this body so we know what projects are being requested, how much taxpayer money the project is going to cost, and – most important – who is requesting the project.  When we institute this reform, we need to cast a wide net.  The provisions in this bill today, for example, would not have stopped the ‘bridge to nowhere’ or any other project in last year’s transportation bill.  Every committee that spends money should be subject to these requirements so the system can work as it is intended.

 

“Still, earmarks are an important part of legislating.  If Congress did not direct some spending to specific projects, the entire budget would fall into the hands of Washington bureaucrats who have never driven Highway 60 in Southern Missouri or lived through a flood or seen crops destroyed by insects or natural disasters,” Emerson said.