Reform-minded Senators Call for Strong Bill
Eleven senators, led by Senators Russ Feingold (D.-Wisc.) and Barack Obama (D.-Ill.), and all of the freshman Senate Democrats — Senators Brown, Cardin, Casey, Klobuchar, McCaskill, Tester, Webb and Whitehouse — as well as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I.- Vt.), sent a letter to leadership asking them to preserve the strong medicine for corrupt government in S.1, the Senate’s landmark lobbying and ethics reform bill. The bill is on its way to conference.
The senators called on the leaders to maintain support in conference for all of the significant achievements of the bill, including:
- A strong gift ban;
- Restrictions on corporate jet flights;
- Disclosure of bundling by lobbyists;
- The revolving door language that is in the Senate’s version of the bill;
- Limits on privately funded travel;
- Restrictions on lavish convention parties; and
- Improvements in legislative transparency.
We applaud these senators for their leadership and vision.