[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 94 (Tuesday, July 19, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 19, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                    PERCEPTION IS REALITY, NOT PERKS

  (Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, surveys continue to reveal 
that Americans are disgusted with our perks and they want us to abide 
by all the laws they do. A lunch from a lobbyist is not going to 
influence our vote, but it does influence the way Americans view 
Congress and their vote. As a democracy, we need to be under the same 
rules as the people we represent. Therefore, I have introduced H.R. 
4444. My bill is simple: do away with our perks and require us to live 
under the same laws. Over 100 new Members were elected in 1992 to 
reform Congress but it has not happened. The leadership bill does not 
go far enough. True reform will bring us under the same rules as other 
Americans. This not only means the same laws, but the elimination of 
all remaining perks.
  According to others we have more restrictions than any legislature 
and are the most ethical Congress ever. But we are not perceived that 
way. And in politics, perception is reality. To convince voters that we 
are the ethical, honorable body we are, reform must do away with our 
perks and privileges. Nothing in my bill will hinder us in our duties. 
We need to head down the road of reform, I say to my colleagues, and 
H.R. 4444 is the best legislative vehicle.

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