posted on: Friday, August 03, 2007

On Thursday, the Senate voted overwhelmingly to pass the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007, the same bill that was passed in the House earlier this week. By a vote of 83-14, the Senate voted for the measure that would provide the first substantive effort in years to reform the ethics procedures in Congress.

The bill is now headed to the desk of President Bush, where it will either be vetoed or signed into law. With enough votes in both chambers to override any possible veto, the prospects for passage of the bill remain highly promising.

The bill would force lawmakers to detail on a quarterly basis where donations are coming from by making the information accessible on the Internet. In addition, “pork projects,” or funds that are appropriated with more respect to Congressmen and their district rather than actual need, would face stronger scrutiny and disclosure measures. The bill also prevents Congressmen from receiving certain perks, including discounted rides on private planes, and would prohibit members of Congress from receiving gifts from lobbyists.

We are calling on President Bush to sign the legislation into law, to bring about a significant and long-overdue change to the ethical procedures of Congress.

The Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 is one of the bills NCRP supports that is up for debate in the 110th Congress. For an overview of the bills that directly affect NCRP and the non-profit sector as a whole, click here.