That is not the point the Senator made last night. It is not the point the Senator is making this morning. What the Senator is describing is when I describe something which is substantially recreational as not being considered to be…

My friend, who is an awful good lawyer--I do not think I have known a better one--does he not agree the reasonable person test is used all the time in factual determination all the time? The reasonable person test is throughout our rules…

I say, first, to my friend from Alaska that spouses are covered under the current rule, so that we have some experience relative to the coverage of spouses and dependents under existing rules. That is not changed. Have the spouses…

about a year ago this body went on record overwhelmingly--I think it was a vote of 98 to 1--as follows: It is the sense of the Senate that as soon as possible during this year's session the Senate should limit the acceptance of gifts…

The reason you went down there was for the purpose to go and participate as a Senator.

I would like to know more facts. Again, if they are coming from a lobbyist, the answer is no.

But the goal of this substitute of the Governmental Affairs Committee is to toughen the gift rules for the Senate. That is the real issue here--so that we can try to gain some credibility for the Senate and for the Congress as a whole…

I am suggesting that the Senator is proposing that there be a toughening of the penalty, instead of toughening the rule in a significant way, and I think that really is a diversion from the issue before us, which is whether or not we…

Under this approach, ``substantially recreational,'' you could not accept that trip because the event then, as you have just described it, was substantially a recreational event.

I am saying there is a managers' amendment that will clarify that issue. If there is a broadly attended event, at the invitation of the sponsor, which you are not being invited to by a registered lobbyist--which is what you are saying--the…

If the person is coming down to participate in a golf tournament, that is a substantially recreational event the person is coming down to. It did not sound to me like that person was coming down to an event the purpose of which was…

Yes. Mr. McCONNELL. The issue is whether you want to trivialize the Senate or not, in my view. The goal of the Johnston-McConnell. substitute is to toughen the penalties for egregious offenses. If the Senator would like to toughen the…

2 years ago, I introduced a bill to close loopholes in the lobbying registration laws and to ensure that the public has complete and accurate information about who is being paid how much to lobby Congress and the executive branch and on…

On page 37, on line (3), it says, ``Anything provided under circumstances that clearly indicate * * * that it is provided for a nonbusiness purpose and is motivated by a family relationship or personal friendship and not by the position of…

the amendment I am offering expresses the sense of the Senate that an individual's creditworthiness should be judged on his or her own credit history and not on where that individual happens to live. The amendment also requests that a…

That is not what I would call tough enforcement, which is apparently the theme of the amendment, since you would have to be reprimanded three times by the Senate. I doubt that the Senate has reprimanded anybody---- I would not want to rule…

I have to have more facts about it. As to lobbyists giving the tickets to the Opera Ball, the answer is no.

If I could just finish this one thought. The Senator's point is, well, why not just disclose that kind of a trip? There are really two answers to that. First of all, those trips already are disclosed. Disclosure has not prevented this…

Second, the Senator has also raised a question about disclosure. I think that is going to get to the heart of the matter on these trips, which have been such a subject matter of concern. These are the trips that have been shown on these TV…

It should be clear and will be clear, under the managers' amendment, that you will be allowed to go to a widely attended event not at the invitation of a lobbyist that you consider to be part of your duties.

No. You just gave me the facts. You told us the first time the reason you went to that event was those morning events, and that then those other events, were not the principal reasons for your going. Now you are saying there was not a…

I oppose the amendment which is before the Senate, which is aimed at blocking the proposed stock option accounting reforms that have been proposed by the independent accounting board which is in charge of accounting rules. Over the last…

If stock options are good why not reverse FASB? The answer is a lot of things are good. Our research and development spending is good, but surely that should be shown as an expense on the company's books. If the test of what is an expense…

the issue before is us is not whether or not stock options are good or bad. As far as I am concerned, they are good. I like performance-based pay. I put a whole list of performance-based pay up here. I think we ought to encourage it, but…

I strongly support H.R. 3221, the Iraqi Claims Act. I urge the House to approve this vital legislation. The purpose of H.R. 3221 is to provide a fair and orderly system for adjudicating the claims of United States nationals against Iraq…