Duckworth: Congress Drops the Ball on Real Reform

DUCKWORTH: CONGRESS DROPS THE BALL ON REAL REFORM
Says Weak Bill Will Maintain Lobbyist Stranglehold on Washington

Tammy Duckworth chided the U.S. House leadership for the watered-down lobbying reform bill likely to be considered on the House floor Wednesday, saying she would vote against it if she were serving in Congress.

"This bill was designed to get members of Congress through the next election instead of putting our government back in the hands of the people where it belongs," said Duckworth, a candidate in Illinois 6th Congressional district.

"We have a Medicare drug bill written by the drug companies and an energy bill written by the oil companies," Duckworth charged. "Yet, the outsized influence of these special interests will remain in place, through their continued ability to reward Congressmen with gifts and lucrative lobbying positions when they leave office."

Throughout the campaign, Duckworth has repeatedly called for strict ethics reforms including: lengthening the time before former members of Congress can become Capital Hill lobbyists; prohibiting travel paid for by lobbyists; and creating a new independent office to govern the behavior of Members of Congress and staff. The bill pending in the House fails to enact any of these reforms, except for a temporary ban on lobbyist-paid travel that convieniently expires shortly after the November election.

Duckworth noted that the House bill fails to establish an independent ethics board to replace the ineffectual House Ethics Committee. And it falls short of eliminating special project "earmarks" in the Congressional appropriations process, which have added billions of dollars to the federal deficit in support of dubious projects such as a teacups museum.

"The fact that the rule governing debate of this bill outlawed any amendments tells you all you need to know about its purpose," Duckworth said. "This is a cynical exercise in political self-protection rahter than a serious effort to change business-as-usual in Washington."

Duckworth's opponent, state Sen. Peter Roskam, recently told the Chicago Sun-Times that he had confidence that House Speaker Dennis Hastert would come up with ehtics reforms that owuld satisfy the public. In light of the deficiencies of the House bill, Duckworth again urged Roskam to withdraw the ethics "proxy" he has given Hastert and take a public position on the bill.

"Senator Roskam's continuing silence on congressional ethics reform speaks volumes - and must be a source of comfort to the special interests and defenders of the status quo," she said. "For those many voters who want change in Washington, Peter Roskam offers only more of the same."

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