.Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2006 - Extends from one to two years the ban on former senior and very senior executive personnel, former Members of Congress, and officers and employees of the legislative branch from making lobbying contacts with any officer or employee of the entity in which such person served before his or her tenure terminated.Current status:
Eliminates floor privileges for a former Senator or Senator-elect who is a registered lobbyist.
Requires public disclosure by Members of Congress and senior congressional staff of employment negotiations.
Subjects to fines and penalties a Member of Congress or a congressional employee who wrongfully influences, on a partisan basis, an entity's employment decisions or practices.
Amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (LDA) to require: (1) quarterly instead of semiannual filing of lobbying disclosures reports; (2) electronic filing; (3) disclosure of registered lobbyist contributions and payments; (4) disclosure of paid efforts to stimulate grassroots lobbying; (5) disclosure by registered lobbyists of all past executive and congressional employment; and (6) maintenance of certain lobbying disclosure information in an electronic data base, available to the public free of charge over the Internet.
Amends the Standing Rules of the Senate to: (1) exclude gifts from lobbyists from the gift ban exceptions; and (2) prohibit privately funded travel by a Member, officer, or employee.
Prohibits such individuals from accepting transportation or lodging on trips sponsored by non-profit organizations that are planned, organized, requested, arranged, or financed in whole or in part by a lobbyist or foreign agent, or in which a lobbyist participates.
Requires a Member, officer, or employee of the Senate to disclose certain information regarding noncommercial air travel.
Requires the Committee on Rules and Administration to develop and revise guidelines on reasonable expenses or expenditures for official government travel.
Establishes the Senate Office of Public Integrity.
Amends the LDA to increase the penalty for failure to comply with lobbying disclosure requirements.
Requires certification that congressional travel meets certain conditions. Establishes civil fines for false certifications.
Establishes mandatory annual ethics training for congressional employees.
Amends the Standing Rules to require: (1) actual voting in a conference committee meeting on the full text of the proposed conference report; and (2) availability of such report on the Internet for at least 24 hours before its consideration.
1/20/2006:More info on the HSGAC, including details of the hearing held on 1/25/2006, at which McCain testified.
Read twice and referred, under authority of the order of the Senate of Jan. 18, 2006, to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. (text of measure as introduced: CR 1/24/2006 S20-23)
1/25/2006:
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Hearings held.
(Announcer voice): The Republican culture of corruption is at it again.Obama is right to want to conduct this corruption reform by the ordinary committee process, for this precise reason. One party (the guilty party in this case) is allergic to public debate. Damn skippy we need to do this by the book.
After being caught red-handed taking bribes (flash pic of Duke Cunningham), after their majority leader had to step down after being accused of money laundering (flash pic of Tom Delay smoking Cuban cigar), after multiple Republican officeholders were caught taking money from corrupt Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff (flash pic of Abramoff in black fedora outside courthouse) the so-called "Party of Personal Responsibility" now opposes Public Integrity.
They say it would "expand government". This is hypocrisy.
(Text zooming on screen....)
Republicans have added new cabinet level departments, costing hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars.
Republicans have added TRILLION DOLLAR new entitlements and misled the American people about the costs.
(with added emphasis) Republicans have increased the size of government by over 20% EVERY YEAR since 2000.
(show chart)In fact, Republicans have nearly doubled the national debt in five years, eclipsing the debt incurred by ALL previous administrations combined...debt that you, your children and grandchildren will have to repay...(put text "REPUBLICAN BIRTH TAX" in bold letters onscreen)
And yet, with their leaders under indictment, they NOW oppose the Senate Office of Public Integrity because it "would increase the size of government".
Hypocritical Republicans are mired in bribery and dirty money laundering scandals. Is it any wonder the only kind of government they oppose is ETHICAL GOVERNMENT?
(draw the word "ETHICS" onscreen, draw red circle and slash line thru it)
This November, vote for change. Put these corrupt bums where they belong...IN JAIL! (prison cell door clangs shut)
This message paid for Citizens for Public Integrity and Ethics (fade to black)
« Older MySpace: The Movie... | Dear First Lieutenant Rebrook:... Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by matteo at 7:38 AM on February 7, 2006