[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 17288-17289]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST--H.R. 2316

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I want to visit with everyone present for 
just a few minutes about S. 1, the ethics and lobbying reform bill. We 
hope to appoint conferees on this important bill today. By doing this 
today, we would enact this critical legislation that is so important to 
be done. It is the most significant lobbying ethics reform, I believe, 
in the history of this country. It makes tremendous reforms--long 
overdue. It will restore the people's confidence in their elected 
officials.
  Last year, Americans rightly got sick and tired about story after 
story of corruption, the culture of corruption some called it, here in 
Washington led by Jack Abramoff, who is now in prison; Randy 
Cunningham, who is now in prison; Bob Ney, who is now in prison; 
Safavian, the head of Government contracting, led away from his office 
in handcuffs; Scooter Libby--numerous people who worked for various 
House Members who were involved in corrupt activities, airplane trips 
to golf in Scotland and places that are hard to imagine.
  The American people responded at the polls last November with a clear 
message that they wanted a new direction, and we, the Democrats, 
responded by passing the most sweeping ethics and lobbying reform in a 
generation. We did it with the help of the minority. I do not say that 
lightly. But let's see what is in this bill. Let's review it for a bit 
to find out what this bill does.
  It prohibits lobbyists and entities that hire lobbyists from giving 
gifts to lawmakers and their staffs. It prevents corporations and other 
entities that hire lobbyists from paying for trips for Members or 
staffs. And it prohibits lobbyists from participating in or paying for 
any such trips. It requires Senators to pay fair market value prices 
for charter flights, which put an end to the abuses of corporate 
travel.
  Many people in this Chamber flew in corporate jets and paid first-
class airfare. That did not corrupt any Members of Congress, but it was 
corrupting. It didn't look right, and therefore it is important it be 
stopped. And I hope it stopped. We need legislation to make sure it is 
stopped.
  This legislation also slows the so-called revolving door by extending 
a ban on lobbying by former Members of Congress and senior staffers, 
and prevents Senators from even negotiating for a job as a lobbyist 
until their successor has been elected. This legislation puts an end to 
pay-to-play schemes, such as the notorious ``K Street Project.'' It 
provides dramatic improvements to disclosure and lobbying activities by 
doubling the frequency that lobbyists must file reports on their 
activities, requiring disclosure of contributions and bundled 
contributions, requiring that lobbyists' disclosures be publicly 
available on the

[[Page 17289]]

Internet in a searchable form. This is for the first time ever.
  This legislation requires lobbyists to certify in writing that they 
have not violated House or Senate gift and travel rules. It ends the 
practice of corporations hiding their lobbying activities behind bogus 
coalitions with friendly sounding names, and increases civil and 
criminal penalties for lobbyists who violate the law.
  The bill has brought about a revolution in earmark disclosure.
  For the first time ever, the Senate will identify all earmarks in 
bills, the Senator who requested it, and the entity or location that 
receives it. Further, every Senator has certified that he or she has no 
monetary interest in their earmarks. Let me say that. This disclosure 
is the first time ever that this information will be disclosed. The 
Senate could have required the disclosure last year or the year before 
or the year before that, while the number of earmarks was exploding 
under a Republican Congress, but it did not. This year we took the lead 
and changed the way we do business around here. At the beginning of the 
year, we sent a message that ethics and lobbying reform was our No. 1 
commitment by designating the bill S. 1. We worked hard to make this a 
bipartisan bill. Now we must take the next step by appointing 
conferees. I look forward to moving the ethics bill forward so we can 
reassure the American people that Congress is as good and honest as the 
people it represents.
  I have gone over most everything in this bill. There are other things 
in it, but this is strong, important information the American people 
deserve. It is a law that should become a reality as quickly as 
possible.
  I, therefore, ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the 
immediate consideration of Calendar No. 182, H.R. 2316, lobbying 
disclosure; that all after the enacting clause be stricken and the text 
of S. 1, as passed by the Senate on January 18, 2007, be inserted in 
lieu thereof; that the bill be read a third time, passed, the motion to 
reconsider be laid upon the table; that the Senate insist on its 
amendment, request a conference with the House on the disagreeing votes 
of the two Houses, and the Chair be authorized to appoint conferees on 
the part of the Senate with a ratio of 4 to 3, with the above occurring 
without intervening action or debate.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Is there objection?

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