Porter Goss: “during the 104th Congress, we have made some very positive changes in how we do business around here. We have legislated…”

“during the 104th Congress, we have made some very positive changes in how we do business around here. We have legislated more stringent lobbyist registration requirements, disclosure requirements of their activities. We have passed a new House rule that prohibits Members and staffs from accepting any gifts, including meals or event tickets, from lobbyists or any other individuals other than family and close friends. This is a good start, but it has not changed the persistent perception across our country that special interest groups have an edge over individual contributors when it comes to election time. Our next step is to change how we run our campaigns. I have introduced H.R. 3274 to do just that. My bill does limit PAC contributions, and it requires that contributions come from within the candidate's State and that 50 percent of contributions come from within the candidate's district. If we are here to represent the people from our district, then they are the ones that should help us get here. They are the Americans we work for and are accountable to. It is time for meaningful campaign reform. We can pass some. We should do it. It makes sense.”