Jasper Packard: “I simply want to take time to clarify two issues that have been mentioned several times. Last year we did pass a gift…”

“I simply want to take time to clarify two issues that have been mentioned several times. Last year we did pass a gift ban bill. It was not this gift ban that is being proposed. Totally different. This one is 51 pages long. I have not read a single page of that 51 pages. I do not think any Member of Congress except those that have proposed it have read the 51 pages. This is not the time to pass a 51-page amendment to this conference report. That is the point I wanted to make. The second point: We have worked very carefully for several years and certainly this year to make this a bipartisan bill. I want to commend the gentleman from California [Mr. Fazio] who is the ranking member of the subcommittee. We have worked in a bipartisan way. Unfortunately, this is turning into a very partisan vote on the rule. Frankly, that is probably the way it is going to go, along a straight partisan vote. That is unfortunate when we have worked together on a nonpartisan bill that has done a lot of good work for restructuring Congress.”