Government Reform

lobbyist

The goal of Government reform is to not only ensure ethical accountability on the part of our Representatives, but to restore Government to the role of serving and protecting the interests and well-being of The People of the United States.

 

To take the oath of office as a Public Servant is to swear to uphold and support the Constitution, and to hold loyalty to laws and ethical principles above personal or private gain. Instead, personal and financial conflicts of interest have become rampant among elected representatives, flagrant interaction with lobbyists and interest groups has corrupted our democratic processes, and existing oversight agencies

and regulations and reporting requirements aren't adequately protecting government integrity. Therefore monitoring agencies must be strengthened, lobbying laws must be changed, and severe penalties imposed upon officials who transgress the law and willfully violate the public trust. At a minimum, a series of Government Reforms shall include:

1.  Create a five-year ban that would prevent members of Congress and executive branch officials and their staff from becoming lobbyists, and close loopholes allowing former government officials to conduct lobbying activities under the guise of consulting or advising;

 

2.  Establish a firewall between Federal Regulatory Agencies and the corporations/industry they regulate by prohibiting former corporate executives from taking senior management level positions within Agencies regulating their former corporations, for a period of five years after last employment;

 

3.  Establish a comprehensive Conflict of Interest rule preventing Congressmen, Senators, and the President from holding more than 5% interest in any company that does business with the federal government;

 

4. Strengthen the independence and reach of the US Office of Government Ethics (which oversees the Executive branch) by:

a. allowing the Director to be appointed by a bi-partisan Congressional committee (not by the President);

b. granting the office subpoena power;

 

5. Require all Public Officials publicly report on a monthly basis a log of all visits by representatives of corporations, PACs, lobbies, or trade unions.