Dec 5, 2006 -- Reform Groups Urge House Members to Support Essential Ethics and Lobbying Reforms

Below for your information is a letter reform groups sent today, urging House members to support essential ethics and lobbying reforms. The letter is accompanied by one-page summaries that set forth these essential ethics and lobbying reforms.

According to the letter, the reforms enacted by the House must be comprehensive, effective and loophole-free in order for the reforms to work and be publicly credible.

The reform groups supporting these essential reforms include the Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause, Democracy 21, the League of Women Voters, Public Citizen and U.S. PIRG.

December 5, 2006

Dear Representative,

Exit polls on Election Day made clear that the extraordinary corruption and ethics scandals in Congress were at the top of voter concerns. Voters spoke loud and clear that they want Congress cleaned up now.

The anti-corruption reforms necessary to accomplish this goal include ethics, lobbying and campaign finance reforms. The House is expected to address two of these areas -- ethics and lobbying reforms -- early in the new Congress.

Our organizations believe that the House must adopt ethics and lobbying reforms that are comprehensive, effective and loophole-free in order for the reforms to work. The reforms must include the establishment of a nonpartisan, professional enforcement entity to help enforce the House ethics rules.

We are enclosing one-page summaries that set forth the benchmark ethics and lobbying reforms we support as essential to enacting real and publicly credible reforms.

We strongly urge you to respond to the overwhelming mandate from voters to address the scandals in Congress by voting for the essential benchmark reforms set forth in the enclosed summaries.

Campaign Legal Center
Common Cause
Democracy 21
League of Women Voters
Public Citizen
U.S. PIRG

Reforming the House Ethics Rules

When asked which issue was extremely important to their vote, more
voters said corruption and ethics in government than any other issue,
including the war, according to national exit polls.

CNN, November 8, 2006

The House is expected to consider changes to the House ethics rules and to the lobbying laws separately at the beginning of 2007. In order to work, these reforms must be comprehensive, effective and loophole-free. The following list sets forth benchmark reforms essential for the House ethics rules. A separate list sets forth essential reforms for the lobbying laws.

Enforcement

- Establish a nonpartisan, professional enforcement entity to help enforce the House ethics rules.

Travel

- Prohibit lobbyists and organizations that lobby Congress, including affiliated entities, from financing, directly or indirectly, domestic and foreign trips for Members and congressional staff; and

- Prohibit Members from paying for the use of company planes at less than fair-market charter costs for official trips, campaign trips and personal trips.

Gifts

- Prohibit lobbyists and organizations that lobby Congress, including affiliated entities, from providing gifts, meals and entertainment for Members and congressional staff; and

- Close a major loophole in the gift rules by prohibiting lobbyists and other special interests from paying for expensive parties given ''to honor'' a Member at the national conventions.

This list of essential reforms is supported by the Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause, Democracy 21, the League of Women Voters, Public Citizen and U.S. PIRG.

Reforming the Lobbying Laws

When asked which issue was extremely important to their vote, more
voters said corruption and ethics in government than any other issue,
including the war, according to national exit polls.

CNN, November 8, 2006

The House is expected to consider changes to the lobbying laws and the House ethics rules separately at the beginning of 2007. In order to work, these reforms must be comprehensive, effective and loophole-free. The following list sets forth benchmark reforms essential for the lobbying laws. A separate list sets forth essential ethics reforms.

Disclosure

- Require lobbyists and lobbying organizations to disclose the campaign contributions they provide, the fundraising events they hold and the contributions they ''arrange'' for candidates, parties and leadership PACs;

- Require lobbyists and lobbying organizations to disclose the other financial benefits they provide for Members, such as contributions to foundations controlled by Members and funds provided to pay for Members' events;

- Require lobbyists and lobbying organizations to disclose the earmarks they lobby for and the congressional sponsors of the earmarks;

- Require lobbyists and lobbying organizations to disclose the amounts they spend on grassroots lobbying campaigns aimed at the public, and require ''stealth'' lobbying organizations to disclose their funders; and

- Establish an online database that includes the information from lobbying reports, campaign finance reports and Members' financial disclosure and travel reports.

Revolving Door

- Extend the revolving door ban that prohibits Members from lobbying Congress from one to two years and broaden the ban to cover all lobbying activities.

Penalties

- Provide penalties for lobbyists and lobbying organizations, including affiliated entities, which violate House restrictions on paying for travel, gifts, meals and entertainment for Members and congressional staff.

This list of essential reforms is supported by the Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause, Democracy 21, the League of Women Voters, Public Citizen and U.S. PIRG.

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