Lobbying Reform: Disclosure, Transparency, Accountability
The recent lobbying scandal involving Jack Abramoff is disgraceful, and there are two important lessons to learn from it: 1) the Justice Department will aggressively prosecute crimes involving lobbying, and 2) the laws that govern lobbying are in need of reform.
This sort of illegal behavior undermines the integrity of Congress and hurts the people’s trust in their elected representatives. Reform is absolutely essential, and I am honored that Speaker Hastert has asked me to lead the effort.
There is much we can do to improve the confusing and outdated laws that often leave well-intentioned lobbyists and lawmakers scratching their heads. I have been speaking with members, Democrats and Republicans, to get their thoughts and ideas. I have also heard from people in and out of government from all across the country. This is not a partisan issue, it is an issue that goes to the effectiveness and integrity of our government. Each and every one of us has a stake in that. We are in the process of looking at all of the proposals, and we plan on introducing a package of bold reforms as soon as possible. Some have suggested banning privately funded Congressional trips, others have supported making lobbyists file financial disclosure reports quarterly instead of twice a year. Another suggestion is to increase the period of time between when a member or staffer leaves the Capitol and when they can return to lobby former colleagues from one to two years. One thing is for certain: we will make the system more transparent and we will protect the first amendment right of every American to petition their government. Shining a spotlight on lobbying and giving more information to the American people is critical for good governance.
Once, while discussing the Jeffersonian principle of "a healthy skepticism toward elected leaders," Thomas Mann of the Brookings Institute observed that we have unfortunately shifted to a corrosive cynicism. We need to get back to that "healthy skepticism" envisaged by Thomas Jefferson, and that is exactly what we will accomplish with bold lobbying reforms.
