Dennis Moore: “I thank the gentlewoman. Former Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan once said, ``The government being the people's…”

“I thank the gentlewoman. Former Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan once said, ``The government being the people's business, it necessarily follows that its operations should be at all times open to the public view. Publicity, therefore, is as essential to honest administration as freedom of speech is to representative government.'' Public scrutiny and oversight is what our earmarking process needs, and one of the best ways to do this is by implementing meaningful reforms that bring transparency and accountability to the process. The Republican leadership has offered a very modest rules amendment, but I think we should go even further. It is in that spirit that I have introduced H.R. 1008, a resolution outlining a comprehensive approach to earmark reform that brings real transparency and publicity to the earmarking process for appropriations, authorizations and tax benefits. My comprehensive proposal, H.R. 1008, includes requirements not only for reporting the Member's name along with the earmark request; it also requires that earmark requests be submitted to the committee or committees at least 7 days before an earmark request is scheduled to be voted upon.…”