[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 128 (Saturday, August 4, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1759]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HONEST LEADERSHIP AND OPEN GOVERNMENT ACT OF 2007

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 31, 2007

  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, Section 213 provides that Congress will 
receive annual reports regarding the extent to which lobbyists, 
lobbying firms and other registrants are complying with the amended 
Lobbying Disclosure Act.
  Under Section 213(a), the Comptroller General will annually review 
random samples of publicly-available registrations and reports filed by 
lobbyists, lobbying firms, and registrants and evaluate compliance by 
those individuals and entities with the Act. The use of the term 
``publicly available'' in Section 213(a) is designed to ensure that the 
registrations and reports that the Comptroller General samples are the 
same registration and reports that are available to the public. 
Furthermore, the term ``publicly available'' also requires the 
Comptroller General to obtain copies of the registration and reports 
from the same public websites and in the same manner as the public 
obtains that information. This will better ensure that the information 
evaluated by the Comptroller General will be identical to the 
information the public obtains. Accordingly, Section 213 does not 
authorize the Comptroller General to request information from the Clerk 
of the House of Representatives or the Secretary of the Senate, except 
pursuant to the same methods and procedures by which the public 
requests or obtains such information. Section 213 therefore does not 
authorize the Comptroller General to audit, investigate or review the 
Clerk's and/or Secretary's compliance with the Act, or their receipt, 
compilation, or dissemination, and/or review of information filed under 
the Act.
  The Comptroller General is expected to use appropriate judgment in 
assessing the size of the random sample and the manner of identifying 
the sample. The Comptroller General should ensure that the size and 
manner of its random sampling are designed to ensure that the sample 
adequately represents a fair and complete cross-section of all 
registrations and reports filed pursuant to the Act.
  Section 213(b) provides that the Comptroller General will submit 
annual reports by each April 1 to the Congress identifying the results 
of its analyses of the random samples, and also providing 
recommendations to the Congress to improve compliance with the Act by 
lobbyists, lobbying firms, and registrants. The reports shall also 
assess whether and to what extent the Department of Justice has 
sufficient resources and statutory authority to enforce the Act and, if 
not, recommendations regarding what specific resources or authorities 
Congress should provide to the Department of Justice. In complying with 
this Section, it is expected that the Comptroller General will consult 
with the Department of Justice.
  Section 213(c) provides the Comptroller General with the tools 
necessary to evaluate whether the information included by lobbyists, 
lobbying firms and registrants in the reports filed under this Act is 
accurate and complete, and thus whether these individuals and entities 
are complying with the Act. This subsection thus authorizes the 
Comptroller General to request and receive information from lobbyists, 
lobbying firms and registrants (and their employees). The information 
the Comptroller General may request from lobbyists, lobbying firms and 
registrants is broad and need only relate to the purposes of the Act. 
In other words, the Comptroller General is expected to request 
sufficient documentation from lobbyists, lobbying firms and registrants 
to fully evaluate whether the information contained on the 
registrations and reports filed by the lobbyists, lobbying firms and 
registrants is accurate and complete. This will often necessarily 
entail more information from the lobbyists, lobbying firms and 
registrants than is contained within the reports.
  Section 301 prohibits House Members from engaging in any agreements 
or negotiations with regard to future employment or salary until his or 
her successor has been selected unless he or she, within 3 business 
days after the commencement of such negotiations or agreements, files a 
signed statement disclosing the nature of such negotiations or 
agreements, the name of the private entity or entities involved, and 
the date such negotiations commenced with the Committee on Standards of 
Official Conduct. It requires senior staff to notify the Committee on 
Standards of Official Conduct within 3 days if they engage in 
negotiations or agreements for future employment or compensation. The 
prospective employment or compensation negotiations or agreements in 
Section 301 are intended to refer only to those conducted with a 
private entity or private entities. Additionally, the negotiations and 
agreements referenced are intended to refer to actual bargaining over 
the terms of possible employment.
  Section 305 provides that Members shall be prohibited from attending 
national political convention parties that are held in their honor if 
such parties have been paid for by a lobbyist, or an entity that 
employs lobbyists, unless the Member is the party's presidential or 
vice presidential nominee. This provision will have the effect of 
preventing lobbyists or an entity employing such lobbyists from 
directly paying for a party to honor a specific Member.

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