Ethics
When I arrived in Washington, D.C., the American people's faith in Congress had ebbed to an all-time low. And, as well it should have, for the years of decay had left lax ethical standards in their wake.
The 110th Congress set out to do something about that. So within the "First 100 Hours" under the leadership of Speaker Pelosi, we passed a series of rule changes designed to restore the faith of the American people in their government. We closed the revolving door that saw members of Congress and their staff taking high paying jobs at lobbying firms only weeks and months after having voted on issues that those very same firms lobbied them on. We strengthened the quality of disclosures so that payoffs can no longer be described as "gifts" and hidden from the public record. We made it so that members of Congress can no longer accept meals and travel from lobbyists. And perhaps most importantly, we increased government transparency by ending the system of anonymous earmarks. No Congressman can slip anything into a bill that they're not prepared to sign their names to.
In March 2008, I voted for H.Res. 894, which establishes an Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE). The OCE was proposed by a bi-partisan Congressional panel to allow private citizens to review potential ethics violations by members of Congress.
A culture of corruption had grown up around us. And I'm proud to have played a role in ending it.
I've also signed on as a cosponsor of Rep. Baron Hill's bill to establish a House Ethics Committee that would review bills from an ethical standpoint and revise them before they can even reach general debate on the floor.
Ethical reform in government was nothing new to me at all. As the State Senator for District 30, I sponsored the Campaign Finance Reform and Lobbyist Reform Acts of 1995, the Open Appointments Act of 1992, the Reduction of Waste in Government Act and Anti-Skullduggery Acts of 1992, and the Campaign Finance Registry act of 1990.
As elected representatives of the American people, Congress must not only adhere to a strict code of ethical standards, but we must avoid even the appearance of impropriety so that you, the voters, can have confidence as you cast your votes that your representatives work for you--- Not a well-moneyed interest that has lavished "gifts" on them.
I have worked to build precisely that brand of ethical code throughout my career, and I will continue to do so.