[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 144 (Thursday, October 6, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 6, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                      OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS

  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased that today the Senate will pass 
a very important piece of legislation--the reauthorization of the 
Office of Government Ethics [OGE]. The subject of this legislation--
ethics in government--brings to mind a quote by John Caldwell Calhoun:

       The very essence of a free government consists in 
     considering offices as public trusts, bestowed for the good 
     of the country, and not for the benefit of an individual or 
     party.

  That is the way in which we expect our government officials to 
conduct themselves. Government service is a privilege and with that 
privilege comes tremendous responsibilities. Public servants in all 
three branches of government have an important obligation to the 
citizens who have put their faith and trust in them. We expect our 
government officials to abide by a certain code of conduct and to 
adhere to high ethical standards so that our citizens will have 
confidence in the integrity of their government.
  Unfortunately, however, many Americans are disenchanted with their 
elected officials. As a result, the need for strict ethical standards, 
and vigilant oversight of compliance with our ethics laws, is as great 
as ever. Almost daily headlines purport allegations of unethical or 
inappropriate conduct by government officials in one form or another. 
These stories further erode the public's confidence in the integrity of 
their government officials which is already at one of the lowest points 
in our recent history.
  Senator Levin and I have long been proponents of strong ethics laws. 
We serve as the chairman and the ranking minority member on the 
subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management which has 
jurisdiction over ethics matters within the executive branch. Senator 
Levin and I have made many changes to strengthen the ethics laws since 
the Ethics in Government Act of 1978, which created OGE, was passed. We 
also authored the independent counsel provisions of the Ethics in 
Government Act which provides for the appointment of an independent 
counsel to investigate allegations of criminal activities by top level 
executive branch officials. We worked together to strengthen the 
revolving door laws and, more recently, Senator Levin and I worked to 
develop legislation to strengthen our lobbying disclosure laws. 
Moreover, Senator Levin and I have consistently sought to aid OGE in 
its mission of providing overall direction to the executive branch in 
developing policies to prevent conflicts of interest and ensure ethical 
conduct by executive branch officers and employees.
  Each executive branch agency has primary responsibility for the 
administration of its ethics program. Strong leadership must, 
therefore, start at the top of every agency. Agency heads must 
demonstrate their firm commitment to high ethical standards and send a 
clear message that ethics violations will not be tolerated.
  The reauthorization bill we are about to pass, which I introduced 
with Senator Levin last year, would reauthorize OGE for 8 years. This 
is a slightly longer reauthorization than we have sought in previous 
years. as in the past, we want to avoid the need to reauthorize OGE in 
the midst of a Presidential election, or during the first year of a 
Presidential term when a large potion of OGE's resources are devoted to 
the nominee clearance process.
  The bill would also, for the first time, grant OGE gift acceptance 
authority to address the problem that arises when Federal Government 
facilities are not adequate either in terms of size or equipment 
resources to accommodate OGE's ethics education and training programs 
which are held around the country. This authority is intended to enable 
OGE to accept the use of certain non-federal facilities, such as an 
auditorium that might be offered by a State or local government or a 
university, which may be better suited for OGE's needs.
  As I have often noted in the past, the Office of Government Ethics is 
a small office with large responsibilities. Over the years, we have 
imposed more responsibilities on OGE and we haven't always provided the 
necessary staff or resources to carry out those responsibilities. 
Specifically, I would note the additional functions OGE had to perform 
when it became an independent agency in 1989 and in complying with the 
Ethics Reform Act of 1989. While OGE's budget has increased rather 
significantly since we last reauthorized OGE in 1988, OGE still has a 
lean budget with which to operate when you consider the critically 
important responsibilities the agency has. That said, in light of 
looming budget deficits, OGE, like all agencies will undoubtedly be 
called upon to meet its responsibilities in the most cost-effective 
manner possible. The bill also contains a number of technical changes 
to the ethics laws.
  Restoring the public's trust and confidence in the integrity of their 
government is not an easy task. I commend Senator Levin for his 
continued efforts to ensure strict ethical standards in government and 
for getting this important legislation before the full Senate for 
consideration. I urge the House of Representatives to move 
expeditiously to pass its version of the reauthorization bill so that 
we may complete action on this measure in these final days of the 103d 
Congress.

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