Brown Calls Defeat of Ethics Reform "Lost Opportunity"

Brown Calls Defeat of Ethics Reform "Lost Opportunity"

AMHERST, OH--Congressman Sherrod Brown (D-Lorain County) said today's Republican defeat of a Democratic lobbying reform bill confirms that government has fallen victim to a pay-to-play system which rewards big campaign donors, and hurts Ohio families.

"Today, the United States Senate had an opportunity to begin restoring public confidence in government and clean up the broken system," Brown said. "I'm disappointed that Senator DeWine once again chose to go along with his party leaders and their big corporate lobbyist supporters. Ohio deserves a Senator who will be more than a rubber stamp. As Senator, I will represent ordinary Ohioans and middle-class families, not the high-priced lobbyists who use money and influence to grease the legislative wheels."

The Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2006 (S. 2349), sponsored by Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), was in response to recent Republican scandals stretching from Washington D.C. to Columbus, Ohio; from Sugarland, Texas to San Diego, California.

The measure would have increased restrictions on former Congressional members and staff who become lobbyists; criminalized the "K Street Project"; toughened criminal standards for lobby violations; opened the conference committee process to public review; and prohibited all gifts from lobbyists to members and staff. Brown said today's measure is necessary to clean up the culture of corruption plaguing both Washington and Columbus.

"Republicans in Congress have become little more than a rubber stamp for the president and K Street lobbyists," Brown said. "They reward campaign donations by allowing industries to write bills that reap huge profits for corporate CEOs, while cutting funding for programs that benefit Ohio families."

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