Press Release
MAY 4, 2006
CONGRESSWOMAN SUSAN
DAVIS PUSHES
FOR STRONGER LOBBY REFORM
Davis rejects weaker GOP reforms
Washington - As lobbying scandals erupt in Washington, Congresswoman Susan Davis is advocating for stronger lobby reform in the House of Representatives. Feeling that the Republican-sponsored bill (HR 4975) did not go far enough, Davis opposed final passage.
"If there is any good that comes out of the recent scandals involving Members of Congress and lobbyists, it is that there is more focus on reforming parts of our system," said Rep. Davis. "Unfortunately, despite early talk of true reform, the House leadership brought to the floor a very weak bill. Although the bill contains a small number of narrow reforms, it is woefully inadequate."
Davis voted to replace the weaker version of the bill with stronger reform provisions that are laid out in a bill that Davis has cosponsored, HR 4286.
Under the version Davis supported, there would be a permanent ban on lobbyist meals, gifts, and travel. Members of Congress would be required to publicly disclose earmarks and whether members have financial interest in those earmarks.
Furthermore, lobbyists would be required to disclose contact information more often and detail campaign contributions and information about meetings with Members of Congress. The tougher Democratic version was rejected by a majority of the House on a party-line vote.
Davis also fought back an attempt to weaken the bill even further when she opposed an amendment to strip criminal penalties out of the bill.
The version that ultimately passed contained only a temporary ban on gifts and meals. While it would have required increased disclosure by lobbyists it did not expand the scope of information to be disclosed.