FIGHT POLITICAL CORRUPTION —CALPIRG supports strong lobby reforms that would put an end to lobbyist-paid junkets like those financed by disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

A Real Reform Agenda
After a year in which scandals sent two members of Congress and two lobbyists to jail, forced three more members to resign from office, placed nine more members under federal investigation, and contributed to the defeat of perhaps a dozen or two more, voters made it clear they’re ready for a real change in the way their elected officials do business in Washington, D.C.

But as bills that would rewrite the rules on lobbying and ethical standards in Congress make their way through the House and Senate, how can we make sure that Congress is really addressing these scandals?

CALPIRG has proposed a set of changes that could truly produce long-lasting reform.

We believe strong ethics and lobbying reform requires three main components in order to crack down on and prevent more corruption.

Enforce the rules
Jack Abramoff’s undoing was initiated by a whistleblower—not by the House or Senate Ethics Committees. Congress needs an independent, professionally staffed ethics commission.

The commission should be selected by a bipartisan taskforce. The group should have audit and investigative powers. When they find out about ethical missteps, they should be able to quickly alert the public and punish offenders. The group’s independence should be protected by rules restricting partisan involvement before and after service, terms by which members can (and cannot) be fired, and protections against partisan attacks on the commission’s enforcement budget.

Limit gifts, travel and meals
Gifts of travel and meals buy special access and lead to cozy relationships with powerful special interests. That’s access that the average American just can’t afford.

Instead of vaguely worded and easily avoided rules, we need tough, common sense restrictions on gifts. Gifts of travel should be prohibited if they are funded by lobbyists, firms that employ lobbyists or if lobbyists also attend. While a plaque or commemorative award shouldn’t rise to the level of influence-peddling, all-expense paid golf junkets to Scotland certainly should, and they should be banned. 

Protect voters’ right to know
Require Congress to open the books so that voters can follow the money.

New rules should require full disclosure of all campaign contributions. Right now, if you want to figure out how much money your representative receives from powerful interests, you’d need to spend days poring over misleading organization names and titles. The new rules should require a searchable, online database that labels all contributions from registered lobbyists and what interest each lobbyist represents.

As part of a coalition of groups including Common Cause, Public Campaign Action Fund, and Public Citizen, we asked Congressional candidates to show their support for our platform. 360 of them agreed, including 108 who were elected. Since the election, we’ve been meeting with more members to build on this base of support. As the debate continues, we’ll keep pushing for real reform that will solve the problem.

We already have some key support for our plan from House and Senate leadership, including Rep. Steny Hoyer, the new House Majority Leader. At press time, with the session not yet begun, things are looking good for our democracy work.

Following any election with a shift in control of Congress, there will be a lot of big talk. As the debate continues, we’ll continue to push for real reform and make sure that talk turns into real results.