Jun 23, 2006 -- Statement of Trevor Potter, Campaign Legal Center President, on the Introduction of New Shays-Meehan Lobbying & Ethics Reform Legislation (H.R. 5677)

We applaud the introduction of this substantive lobbying and ethics reform legislation, particularly in light of the sham reform bills passed by the House and the Senate. Representatives Christopher Shays (R-CT) and Marty Meehan (D-MA) are again leading the fight in the House of Representatives for real reform to a corrupt and dysfunctional system of influence peddling here in Washington.

To date both the House and the Senate have passed differing bills that are little more than window dressing. They do not include any of the serious measures that Representatives Shays and Meehan are proposing. Their legislation would bring about real changes on Capitol Hill by creating a long-overdue Office of Public Integrity to replace the cronyism of the inert Congressional ethics committees. Also the bill will ban gifts and privately funded junkets that have been featured so prominently in recent Congressional scandals, and require Members to pay the actual cost of their flights on corporate jets. Lobbyists will be required to disclose all the benefits they provide to the campaigns of Members as well as the amounts they spend on grassroots and advertising efforts to influence Congress. The revolving door between the Capitol and K Street will also be slowed by increasing cooling-off periods during which Members and staff are prohibited from lobbying.

We strongly encourage Members to support these concrete reforms. It seems clear that whatever emerges from the conference of the watered-down House and Senate bills will be far weaker than these solid proposals from Representatives Shays and Meehan.

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