Statement of Administration Policy: S. 1061 - Congressional Gift Reform Act of 1995

(Senate)
(Levin (D) MI and 6 cosponsors)

The Administration strongly supports efforts to reform our political system. The American people believe their government is too dominated by narrow interests and too often listens to the voices of the powerful rather than working families. We can regain the public trust by bringing professional lobbyists into the sunshine of public scrutiny and by prohibiting them from providing gifts, meals, and travel to lawmakers. The Senate has taken the first step in this process by passing S. 1060, bipartisan lobbying disclosure legislation.

The Administration strongly supports S. 1061 as introduced, which bans lobbyist gifts to lawmakers. As the President said in his July 22nd radio address to the Nation, "Congress should send me the strongest possible ban on lobbyist gifts, such as the bill introduced by Democratic Senators, Carl Levin and Paul Wellstone, and Republican Senator Bill Cohen. Congress should not send me a bill that's more loophole than law."