[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 11055-11056]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            CLEAN GOVERNMENT

  (Mr. HIMES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. HIMES. Good morning, Madam Speaker.
  I rise this morning to address the importance of clean government and 
to urge my colleagues to support a number of measures that will come 
before this House to help assure that clean government.

[[Page 11056]]

  Citizens deserve and expect to know that their elected 
representatives are acting purely in their best interests and they, 
particularly in this moment of crisis, should know that we act 
exclusively without conflicts of interest.
  I am proud to cosponsor legislation that would prohibit 
Representatives in this House from taking campaign contributions from 
those for whom they have made appropriations requests. And I am proud 
to cosponsor a bill introduced by my good friend and fellow Connecticut 
Representative John Larson. The gentleman's bill will make huge strides 
in removing the money that so sullies our politics. The American people 
deserve no less, and I urge my colleagues to support these bills as 
they approach the floor of this House.

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