[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 22156]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           AN OPEN AND HONEST CONGRESS FOR EVERYDAY AMERICANS

  (Mr. ARCURI asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ARCURI. Madam Speaker, on the first day of the 110th Congress, 
the Democratic majority in this House enacted the toughest ethics 
reform in a generation by passing a landmark rules package that broke 
the link between lobbyists and legislators. This important step toward 
cleaning up Congress ended gifts, private jets and meals paid for by 
lobbyists.
  Yesterday, we continued our commitment to restore accountability to 
Washington and passed the final House-Senate agreement on the Honest 
Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007. This tough legislation, 
which ends the tight-knit relationship between lobbyists and lawmakers 
takes another major step toward making this Congress the most open and 
honest in American history.
  I am proud to have supported this critical bill, which has been 
hailed by reform groups as a ``sea of change for citizens'' and 
``landmark reform.'' I am proud of our Democratic majority that works 
so quickly to enact real change for Americans, which they demanded 
during last year's election.
  Madam Speaker, this Democratic House is dedicated to making sure that 
Congress works for everyday Americans and not just special interests.

                          ____________________