[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 101 (Thursday, July 28, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 28, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
            CONGRESSIONAL PERKS TRANSLATE TO ELECTORAL DEATH

  (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, 1 week ago, I warned about how 
the abuse of frequent flyer miles by Members and staffers would hurt 
us. Today's Roll Call has a front page article on the personal use of 
frequent flyer mileage. Needless to say, papers in our districts will 
pick up the story.
  Like the gym, parking, the beauty and barber shops, tax advice, and 
so forth, these are all minor, almost meaningless perks, but they have 
the voters up in arms.
  My bill, H.R. 4444, reforms air travel. I also support Representative 
English's bill to reform air travel. But merely reforming here is not 
enough, I say to my colleagues. This is only one needed step in the 
long journey of congressional reform.
  We will suffer from this electoral death by a thousand cuts unless we 
have total reform. First, the gym. Then parking. Then tax advice. Now, 
frequent flyer miles.
  None of us ran for office because of these trivial perks, so let us 
not be driven from office because of them.
  Support total, not piecemeal, reform, I say to my colleagues. Support 
H.R. 4444, the one-stop shop for congressional reform.

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