Home > News>Pelosi Statement on Lobbying Reform Bill House to Vote on Tomorrow
Pelosi Statement on Lobbying Reform Bill House to Vote on Tomorrow
Monday, July 30, 2007
Contact: Brendan Daly/Nadeam Elshami, 202-226-7616
Washington, D.C. -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act, which the House will vote on tomorrow and the Senate later this week. Below the Speaker's statement is a fact-sheet on the bill:
“Democrats are following through on our promise to change the way business is done in Washington. On the first day of the 110th Congress, we passed a landmark rules package – the toughest ethics reform in a generation – that broke the link between lobbyists and legislators: no gifts, no private jets, and no meals from lobbyists.
"With the passage of this Honest Leadership and Open Government Act this week, Congress is demanding on behalf of the American people an unprecedented level of disclosure, both in quantity and quality, on the interactions between lobbyists and legislators.
"From the first day of the 110th Congress, we began a new era of honest, open government, returning this House to the American people. And with this comprehensive lobbying reform bill, we are keeping our promise to the American people to make this Congress the most honest and open in history."
Honest Leadership and Open Government Act
- New transparency for lobbyist bundling and political campaign fund activity, as well as other financial contributions – requires disclosure when lobbyists bundle campaign contributions for any federal elected official, candidate, leadership PAC or national political party; and requires lobbyists to detail their own campaign contributions, and payments to Presidential libraries, Inaugural Committees or entities controlled by or named for Members of Congress.
- Greater transparency in earmarking and the legislative process – requires that all earmarks included in bills and conference reports, and their sponsors, be identified on the Internet at least 48 hours before Senate votes; subjects “dead of night” additions to conference reports to a 60-vote point of order; requires Senators to certify that they and their immediate family members have no financial interest in the earmark; ends the practice of secret Senate holds; makes conference reports available for public review on the Internet 48 hours before the vote.
- Lavish convention parties – prohibits Members of Congress from attending national political convention parties held in their honor and paid for by lobbyists or their clients.
- Ends K-Street Project – Prohibits Members of Congress and their staff from attempting to influence employment decisions in exchange for political access.
- A strong lobbyist gift ban – prohibits lobbyists and their clients from giving gifts, including free meals and tickets, to Senators and their staff; House passed similar gift ban in rules package in January.
- Limits on privately funded travel – bars lobbyists and their private-sector clients from paying for multi-day travel trips by Senators and their staff; House passed similar travel ban in rules package in January.
- Restrictions on corporate flights – requires Senators, Senate candidates and Presidential candidates to pay charter rates for trips on private planes; bars House candidates from accepting trips on private planes.
- Strong revolving doors restrictions – prohibits Senators and their senior staff from gaining undue lobbying access by increasing the “cooling off” period for Senators from one to two years before they can lobby Congress; prohibits senior Senate staff from lobbying contacts with the entire Senate for one year, instead of just their former employing office.
- Expands public disclosure of lobbyist activities – requires lobbyists to file reports on their lobbying twice as often each year, and for the first time to file them electronically in a public, searchable database; and increases civil and criminal penalties for knowingly and corruptly violating lobbying disclosure rules.
- Congressional Pension Accountability – Denies Congressional retirement benefits to Members of Congress who are convicted of bribery, perjury and other similar crimes.
