Legislative Transparency And Accountability Act Of 2007

Floor Speech

LEGISLATIVE TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2007 -- (Senate - August 02, 2007)

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Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I rise today in support of S. 1, the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act. I would first like to extend my condolences to all those affected by the tragedy in Minneapolis. I watched the dramatic footage with horror and I can only hope we can quickly find the cause of this disaster and do all we can to prevent something like this from happening again.

This ethics bill is the product of many hours of hard work, and I commend Leader Reid and Senators Feinstein and Lieberman for their leadership and determination in getting this done. Make no mistake. Today, this body is considering the greatest overhaul of legislative rules and procedure in generations. This ethics bill has passed the House overwhelmingly, and we should do the same without any further delay.

Last November, the American people sent a strong message to its leaders and that message read, ``Enough is enough!'' The people said, ``No more scandals! No more shady dealings!'' The people saw that Congress had needed to fix gaping holes in its ethics rules, and they voted for people they believed would make those changes.

So keeping with our promise to the American people, we developed comprehensive ethics and lobbying reform with an eye towards a quick passage. Back in January, this reform passed with a vote of 96-2. Unfortunately, the will of the people and the efforts of the Senate were stymied and we had to return to square one.

With this bill, however, we have overcome this obstruction and have a chance to pass what is being called ``landmark'' legislation by the reform community. And not a moment too soon. The American people expect their elected leaders to abide by the highest moral and ethical standards. We need to do everything we can to not disappoint them. The conversation at the dinner table should not be about how we let them down. It should not be about how the American people have lost trust in us. And that is why this legislation--and the corresponding message--is so important. It seeks to restore that trust that eroded over the past decade.

With this reform, we are closing loop-holes, enacting restrictions, and creating transparency. These new rules are substantively the same as those passed by this body back in January; any statements to the contrary are simply false.

First and foremost, this bill will improve the culture in Washington by substantively changing the way that lobbyists interact with elected officials. The American public neither wants nor deserves another Abramoff scandal. With this bill, they can now be assured of clean and transparent interactions between K Street and the Hill. Rules will be placed on the travel and gifts that legislators can accept from lobbyists, and the revolving door between public and private employment will be slowed.

Additionally, lobbyists now face additional disclosure requirements. They must now file their disclosure forms twice as often, and certify that they have not given gifts of travel in violation of Senate or House rules. Lobbyists' participation in the campaign process must also be disclosed. Lobbyists must list their campaign contributions, and campaign committees must disclose the names of lobbyists that ``bundle'' contributions to the candidate.

These sweeping changes do not just apply to the lobbyists interactions but also to us and our conduct in the legislative process. This bill will change Senate procedure in various ways and seeks to end ``anonymous holds'' that hamper and disrupt the business of this body.

Additionally, this bill will shine new light onto the sometimes murky earmark process with new levels of transparency. For the first time, all earmarked appropriations and their sponsors must be disclosed to the public on the Internet at least 48 hours prior to Senate action. Not only will this provide the American people with a greater understanding of how their tax dollars are being spent, but it allows for a more comprehensive debate on the Senate floor to help ensure we are spending those same tax dollars wisely. Furthermore, each Senator must now certify that neither they nor their immediate family members will profit from any earmark they are requesting. This lends legitimacy to the projects that we fund, reassuring Americans that they are indeed necessary, and not just enriching politicians and their friends.

When we were all voted into office, the public enlisted their trust in us to act appropriately. We must not take that responsibility lightly. We must always strive for the high ground--where the process is clean and clear, and where the behavior is exemplary.

America expects nothing less from us.

So, Mr. President, I urge all my colleagues to support this monumental bill, and I hope that the Senate sends a message to the American public that we too are sick of corruption, shady dealings, and lies. This bill will take a giant leap forward to end that behavior. We cannot--and should not--wait any longer.

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