House Passes Final House-Senate Agreement on Lobbying Reform
July 31st, 2007 by Jesse LeeThe House has passed the final House-Senate agreement on the Honest Leadership, Open Government Act (pdf) by a vote of 411-8. This is tough legislation designed to end the culture of corruption and restore accountability in Washington. The bill ends the tight-knit relationship between lobbyists and lawmakers and takes another major step toward making the 110th Congress the most open, honest Congress in history. This legislation will bring unprecedented transparency to lobbyists’ activities and is another major step to change the way business is done in Washington. Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer speaks in favor of the bill and responds to Republican complaints.
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Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer spoke in favor of the bill:
Leader Hoyer: “Why no conference? Because a Republican member of the United States Senate wouldn’t let us go to conference. That’s why there was no conference. He stood day after day after day objecting to adopting this important reform package. And, as a result, we couldn’t go to conference. So you can’t complain on the one hand we’re not in conference when it is a Republican Senator from South Carolina who day after day, week after week, objected to doing just that. Mr. Speaker, today is a proud day for this body. And, again, I congratulate my friend, the distinguished Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Mr. Conyers. And a dramatic example of how the Congress was elected last November pledging to clean up the culture of corruption is making good on its promise.” |