FEINGOLD, OBAMA PUSH RESOLUTION TO IMPLEMENT NEW ETHICS RULES
Senators Call for Immediate Adoption of Senate-Approved Rule Changes
Stalled by House Inaction
June 30, 2006
Washington, D.C. –U.S. Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Barack
Obama (D-IL) have introduced a resolution to put into effect immediately
the new ethics rules that the Senate passed earlier this year as part
of lobbying reform legislation. While the Senate passed legislation
containing a number of ethics reforms in March by a vote of 90-8, those
reforms will not take effect until the bill goes through the conference
process and is signed into law by the President. The fate of lobbying
reform is very much in doubt as the House has yet to even appoint conferees.
The Feingold-Obama resolution, if passed by the Senate, will put the
new ethics rules in place immediately, as those rule changes do not
need to be signed into law.
“The Senate congratulated itself for passing new travel and
gift rules back in March, but those rules aren’t yet in effect
because the lobbying reform bill has stalled,” said Senator
Feingold. “Lobbyists can still buy meals for members, despite
what the public has been led to believe. It is time for the Senate
to start living by the rule changes it adopted with such fanfare three
months ago.”
“Let me be clear – while I don’t believe the ethics
reforms passed by the Senate are strong enough, they’re certainly
better than no reform at all,” said Senator Obama. “Even
if this bill doesn’t become law, the Senate should adopt these
modest rules to put an end to lobbyist-paid lunches and gifts and start
to change the culture in Washington that led to the rise of Jack Abramoff
and Duke Cunningham.”
Feingold and Obama also wrote to both the Senate Majority and Democratic
leaders requesting that their resolution be adopted as soon as the Senate
reconvenes following the Independence Day recess. The Senators noted
that the Senate can and should act immediately on the resolution since
all of the rules the Senate passed in March have already received extensive
committee consideration and floor debate. The letter sent by Senators
Feingold and Obama to the two Senate leaders is attached.
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