Dianne Feinstein: “this amendment on behalf of Senator Bennett and myself speaks to a problem that we see with this bill. And that is when…”

“this amendment on behalf of Senator Bennett and myself speaks to a problem that we see with this bill. And that is when you meet with a very small group of people, say, 10 or less, bona fide constituents, no lobbyists present, and you have a sandwich or there is a lunch, somebody puts food in front of you, maybe you eat two bites of it, maybe you don't eat any of it, maybe you eat all of it--we all know we have been through that--you are illegal unless there is some provision that you can accept the lunch. How many times have I gone to a speaking engagement, got involved, something is put in front of me. I don't touch it or maybe I touch it or maybe something is offered to me, maybe I eat one of it, maybe I eat two of it. It is hard to tell. With respect to these small, bona fide constituent events, one should be able to accept the meal, if one chooses, as long as the value of the meal is under $50. It seems to me that this is a reasonable amendment.”