Floor Statements

Yes, I say to my distinguished friend. I ask unanimous consent that S. Res. 19 be modified with the changes now at the desk. This modification has been cleared by the Republican leader. That takes care of the problem the Senator raised.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that there now be a period for the transaction of morning business, with Senators allowed to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. President, I further ask unanimous consent that Senator Salazar be recognized for up to 5 minutes, followed by Senator Allard for up to 5 minutes.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 197, which was introduced earlier today.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time, passed, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table; that any statements related to this bill be printed in the Record. I also indicate this matter has been cleared with Senator McConnell.

Mr. President, tomorrow morning the Senate will begin the hard work of moving our country forward with S. 1. S. 1 is the ethics, lobbying, earmark reform legislation that will be before this body tomorrow.

After a long time, it seems, the new Senate has been sworn in. Our 10 new colleagues are here. Today we govern, and we start with S. 1. It is called the Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act. When passed, this legislation will help ensure America has a government as good and as honest as the people whom it serves. I want the record to be spread with my appreciation for Senator McConnell cosponsoring this legislation. As the Chair knows and has worked so hard to promote bipartisanship, we cannot accomplish anything in this 110th Congress unless the legislative body works together on a bipartisan basis and sends legislation to the President that he will sign. Senator McConnell set the right tone in agreeing to cosponsor this most important legislation. Again, I

appreciate that very much. It is good for the American people to see that the first piece of legislation being brought before this body is one that is cosponsored by the Republican leader and the Democratic leader.

In the weeks leading to this new Congress, we have heard Members from both sides of the aisle talk about bipartisanship. S. 1 will have turned that talk into action. This is a bipartisan bill cosponsored by the two leaders, as well as the chairs and ranking members of the relevant committees.

The designation of the bill as S. 1 has symbolic importance. Often S. 1 is a vehicle for the majority party to make a partisan statement to its base. I have asked my staff to ascertain the last time a bill designated as S. 1 was jointly sponsored by the majority and minority leaders. It has been 32 years. In 1975, majority leader Mike Mansfield and minority leader Hugh Scott jointly sponsored a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill. I am very happy to revive the Mansfield-Scott tradition, where we have leaders working together to move this country forward.

There are many reasons ethics reform is the first legislative item the Senate will consider. Most importantly, because no issue facing this body is more fundamentally important. Honest government should not be a partisan goal. It is the key to a strong nation. All our work this year is based upon what S. 1 is to the American people. When we make leaders accountable to the people, not the special interests or lobbyists, there is no limit to what we can accomplish. We can be energy independent. We can have affordable health care. We can build a strong economy and provide real security for our country. Each of these goals can be accomplished if we ensure that the people's needs, not special interest needs, are put first.

Ethics reform is also the first order of business because it is a clear priority of the American people. In election day exit polls on November 7, voters spoke loudly and very clearly about their diminished faith in government. Forty-one percent of voters named corruption as extremely important in determining whom they would vote for. Americans want us to purge the Government of undue influence, and they want us to eliminate the conditions that led to the scandal-making headlines of last year and 2005: headlines about officials being flown to Scotland for rounds of golf; headlines about committee chairmen negotiating lucrative lobbying jobs with the industries they oversee, while working on legislation important to those industries; and, of course, headlines about ``pay to play'' schemes such as the infamous K Street Project, where jobs and campaign donations were traded for legislation and other official acts.

A number of elected officials and lobbyists have been put in jail for their activities that showed a disrespect for the Congress and the country. The American people simply have had enough. This is not the first time the Senate has considered ethics legislation. Last year, in the wake of the scandals of 2005, we debated and passed a reform bill in the Senate. Unfortunately, it fell victim to politics and never emerged from a conference committee, even though that bill passed on a bipartisan basis in the Senate. This year we are not going to let that happen. We will pass this bill, put it into law.

The House of Representatives has already acted on part of this issue, as their rules allow them to proceed faster than the Senate, and that is an understatement. I applaud Speaker Pelosi for making ethics reform a House priority. We will address many of the same issues here. But because of our rules, we will proceed at a much slower pace, not because we want to but that is how the Senate operates.

This bill will not be referred to the committees of jurisdiction. Senator McConnell and I have decided to begin the debate with the same bill that passed this Chamber 90 to 8 last year. It has been through the committees previously, providing us with a strong starting point for action this year.

The reforms in S. 1 are very real, very strong. To begin, it prohibits gifts and travel paid for by lobbyists, such as Jack Abramoff's infamous trips around the world. Under provisions of this bill, no Member or staff would be able to receive any gift or take any trip paid for by a registered lobbyist. Next, this legislation will slow the revolving door that shuffles lawmakers and top staff between Federal jobs and the private sector. We all remember the case of the House chairman to manage the Medicare Part D bill on the floor of the House only to leave shortly thereafter to make $1 million a year as president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. This bill will ban former Members from lobbying for 2 years, toughen lobbying bans already in place for senior staff, require public disclosure by Members negotiating private sector employment, and strip former Members who become lobbyists of their floor privileges.

Third, this bill will improve Senate procedures to make our work more transparent to the public. It will require full disclosure of earmarks. It will provide new tools to ensure that Members of Congress and members of the public have a chance to review bills before they are voted on. It will make it harder to insert new provisions in conference reports and hand out special favors in the dead of night.

Fourth, it will improve lobbying disclosures. Today lobbyists must file reports semiannually. Our legislation will require them quarterly. Not only that, we will post the reports on the Internet, and we will require lobbyists to include their campaign contributions and fundraisers. Those who don't follow the rules will be subject to stiff new penalties.

Fifth, this bill will make partisan efforts to influence private sector hiring, such as the K Street Project, a violation of Senate rules and mandate ethics training for all Members and staff.

The bill I have outlined, in a broad sense, is a starting point. If we did nothing else other than pass this bill, we would have enacted the most sweeping ethics reforms in a generation or more. But we will not stop with this bill that has been introduced. Very soon I expect to offer a substitute amendment that will strengthen this legislation even more. I hope to do that sometime tomorrow. Then we will have ample time for other Senators to improve the bill through further amendment.

Our two Democratic managers, Senators Feinstein and Lieberman, will oversee a strong bipartisan debate. And together we will pass the strongest Government reform bill to come out of the Senate since Watergate.

Some of the improvements I expect to be approved this week include extending the gifts and travel ban to companies and groups that hire lobbyists, not just the lobbyists themselves. I also expect we will approve earmark disclosure and that we will toughen penalties for those who set up fraudulent, corrupt lobbying schemes such as the ones Mr. Abramoff created.

We have tremendous challenges facing us this year, but our first is to restore the people's faith in their government. With the bipartisan reforms I have outlined today, we can accomplish that task.

There is no better way to start this new Congress than by showing the American people that we will answer only to them.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor the accomplishments of Bob McGowan, the Washoe County assessor. Last year, after more than 24 years in office, Bob retired as the longest serving elected department head in the county. His personable demeanor and dedication to service will be missed.

Bob has been a resident of Nevada for more than 38 years. After working in the Nevada Attorney General's office, Bob made the first of many successful runs for elected office. In 1982, the citizens of Washoe County elected him as their county assessor. For more than two decades, Bob has presided over the growth of Washoe County. From the rising real estate values at Lake Tahoe to the rapid development in the city of Reno, Bob has sought to provide fairness for Washoe County residents.

Most importantly, Bob has never forgotten that the goal of elected office is service. After his election in 2002, he told the Reno-Gazette Journal: ``From the first day I went in office, we've always been a public service organization, not just a property appraisal.'' Under Bob's guidance, the assessor's office has become more responsive to Washoe County residents. For example, Bob moved the assessor's office into the digital age, and residents of Washoe County can now access many forms online. Bob has also worked to

save the taxpayers money, trimming his own budget to return more than $2 million dollars to the Washoe County general fund.

As the county assessor, Bob has always been in tune with the issues of Washoe County. He has navigated controversies over rising property values with ease, taking the time to talk with the people he serves. To this day, residents are amazed that Bob is so approachable and accessible. He can quickly put a visitor at ease with his humble demeanor and his frequent jokes. In fact, I cannot recall a time that I have met with Bob when he hasn't told me a funny anecdote or story.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Bob is a dedicated part of his community. He has served as president for Habitat for Humanity and as an executive board member of the alumni organization for the University of Nevada, Reno. Additionally, as the president of the Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful organization, he led an effort to protect the pristine areas surrounding Lake Tahoe. While working to improve Washoe County, Bob also raised three wonderful children in Reno. A few years ago, I had the privilege to host his daughter, Megan, in my Washington office. A finer former employee does not exist.

Bob McGowan has been an important part of Northern Nevada for more than two decades. His retirement will leave large shoes to fill, but I am confident that Bob will continue to improve Washoe County for many years to come. It is my great pleasure to offer my congratulations to Bob and the McGowan family.

Mr. President, it is my understanding that there are three bills at the desk that are now due for a second reading.

Mr. President, I object to any further proceedings with respect to these bills, en bloc.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. S. 1, the ethics bill, at 11 a.m. tomorrow morning, January 9, for debate only until 2:15 p.m, with the time, until the Senate recesses for the party luncheons, equally divided and controlled between the leaders and their designees.

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10 a.m., Tuesday, January 9; that on Tuesday, following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and that there be a period of morning business until 11 a.m., with the Senator permitted to speak therein, with the first half controlled by the minority and the second half controlled by the majority; and that the Senate stand in recess from 12:30 until 2:15 for the party caucus luncheons.

Mr. President, I direct to the attention of all Senators that tomorrow afternoon Senators who have amendments to the ethics lobbying earmark reform legislation, S. 1, be prepared to start offering them. We are going to work until we complete this legislation. It is my goal to complete the bill the following week.

I remind Senators that Monday is the Dr. Martin Luther King holiday; therefore, of course there will be no votes on Monday. The first vote on Tuesday will be at 5:30 on that day, Tuesday; the 16th, I think, is the date. It is Tuesday, a week from tomorrow. I will indicate the reason I am not moving more quickly is I have had a number of Senators tell me they have events on Monday dealing with the commemoration of the Dr. King holiday and that they could not be here in time for work on Tuesday.

We are going to work hard. We are going to finish the bill the following week. I advise Senators we are going to finish the bill the following week. Everyone should be aware that we will finish it. Even if we have to go past Friday at noon, we are going to finish this bill because we are going to move thereafter to minimum wage. Thereafter, it appears at this stage we are going to move to either the stem cell legislation and then the negotiating for lower prescription drug prices for Medicare. I don't know if we are going to do stem cell first or the Medicare negotiation bill, but one of those will be the third matter.

We have a lot to do. Today the Senate voted to adopt a resolution honoring the late President Gerald Ford. Tomorrow we are beginning the ethics bill at 11, as under a previous order. Tomorrow will be a full day for debate and amendments to that bill.

As I mentioned, the bulk of the bill is under the auspices of the Rules Committee. Senators Feinstein and Bennett will be ready to go tomorrow at 11. We also will see Senators Lieberman and Collins managing certain parts of that bill when the Senate Homeland Security Committee's jurisdiction is primary.

Order for the Expiration of the Morning Hour

I ask, Mr. President, that the morning hour be deemed to have expired tomorrow morning when we reconvene.

Mr. President, if there is no further business, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand adjourned under the previous order.

I ask unanimous consent that the next 2 hours of morning business be controlled as follows: the first 60 minutes under the control of the majority, the second 60 minutes under the control of the minority, with Senators therein limited to 10 minutes each.

Madam President, it is my understanding there are four bills at the desk. I ask for their first reading, en bloc.

Madam President, I ask for a second reading in order to place the bills on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, and having done that, I object to my own requests en bloc.

Madam President, I ask consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. 159 which was introduced earlier today.

Madam President, I ask consent that the bill be read the third time, passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements related to the bill be printed in the Record.

Madam President, it is my understanding that there are a couple of Senators who wish to speak. We will take care of that in a minute.

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 11:30 a.m., on Monday, January 8; that following the prayer and the pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in that day, and that the time until 12 noon be equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees; that at noon, the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 19, a resolution celebrating the life of the late President Gerald R. Ford; that once the resolution is reported, the Senate then vote, without intervening objection or debate, on adoption of that resolution; that upon the adoption of the resolution, the preamble be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be laid on the table.

I further ask consent that notwithstanding the adjournment of the Senate on Friday, January 5, S. 1 be considered to have received its second reading.