[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 137 (Wednesday, September 6, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H8549-H8550]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                          CONGRESSIONAL REFORM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from West Virginia [Mr. Wise] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WISE. Welcome back, Mr. Speaker. First day of Congress everybody 
is back. Kind of like the first day of school, bringing your book bag, 
your pencils, your agenda, our schedule for the upcoming semester, but 
there is one problem. You look at the schedule and the schedule does 
not reflect what you may have heard in the district about what people 
think ought to be done.
  You know, while I was home and participating in town meetings, and 
particularly a lot of talk shows, there are two questions that came up 
a lot. Why is there going to be a train wreck, and when the train wreck 
comes on October 1, because the Federal budget has not been approved 
and the 137 appropriation bills have not been approved, what is going 
to happen? That is No. 1. And No. 2 is, when is there going to be some 
real congressional reform?
  Two questions: Why is there going to be a train wreck and when is 
there going to be true congressional reform?
  What is going to be the first bill that this House takes up today to 
deal with that? It does not deal with the train wreck and it does not 
deal with congressional reform. The one bill that is going to pass and 
get sent to the President is a bill that keeps Congress operating. To 
heck with the rest of the Federal Government, to heck with law 
enforcement, to heck with the veterans, to heck with sending out the 
Social Security checks, the heck with health care, the heck with all of 
that. Keep Congress operating. Keep the Congress budget intact. That is 
the bill that is being brought to the floor today by the Republican 
representative illusionary leadership.
  Mr. Speaker, I think that people think that Congress ought to stand 
in line with everybody else, and then if there is going to be a 
shutdown in Government, Congress ought to be affected in the same way 
that everybody else is, not putting itself ahead. However, that is bad 
enough, but if we could make it better, at least attach lobby reform.
  I have been interested to hear some of the new Members from the other 
side of the aisle come down and talk about how they felt lobby reform 
was important or was not important. They failed to point out that last 
year lobby reform passed on this House and, as I recall, twice in a 
bipartisan majority, and sent over to the Senate where it was 
filibustered by Republican Members.
  Let us give the Senate credit this time. They passed lobby reform 
about a month ago, 98 to zip. That is right, 98 to zero: lobby reform, 
banning gifts from lobbyists, reining in and stopping the free trips, 
the junkets and those types of things. They passed it.
  What about this House of Representatives? They will not let it be on 
this 

[[Page H 8550]]
bill. If we are going to vote, to put Congress first and make sure 
Congress does not have to shut down and take the same lumps that the 
rest of the Federal Government and the rest of the public does, at 
least give the public lobby reform. Let us vote on lobby reform today. 
It is very easy and it is very, very simple. Ban the trips, ban the 
gifts, ban the free meals.
  Mr. Speaker, I have taken the lobby reform pledge. I have voluntarily 
taken on and agreed to abide by the provisions of the lobby reform 
package, even though it is not the law. This House can do the same 
thing today. Therefore, I would just call upon the Republican 
leadership and the Speaker, first of all, to schedule something else. 
Get some other bills moving that mean something to the public besides 
Congress' appropriation.
  The second thing: If we are going to bring Congress' appropriation to 
the floor today, please put lobby reform on it. End the free trips, end 
the junkets, end the meals, end the guests, end the bad perception. 
Bring some reform to this Congress.
  Finally, third, if I could just get time for one more, Mr. Speaker, 
could we do campaign finance reform? We have heard a lot of talk about 
it. There was a great handshake out there in New Hampshire 8 to 10 
months ago; but how about real campaign finance reform to make it 
easier for challengers? I voluntarily agreed to limit the campaign 
spending that I do. I voluntarily take the voluntary campaign pledge 
that our Secretary of State in West Virginia issues every election 
season. Congress, though, ought to be willing to pass this for the 
entire country, and so make it easier for challengers, make it easier 
for the public, and make sure that the money chase ends.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, let me just urge the Members today, do not make 
the first thing Congress does when it comes back into session to pass 
its own bill for its own appropriation to feather its own nest. If we 
are going to do that, Mr. Speaker, I would urge, please let us have 
lobby reform: End the trips, end the junkets, end the free meals, and 
finally begin to restore some faith in this congressional system, and 
particularly, in this House of Representatives.


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