Dusty Johnson: “I rise today as vice chair of the Ethics Committee to discuss the resolution being considered by the Senate. I say at…”

“I rise today as vice chair of the Ethics Committee to discuss the resolution being considered by the Senate. I say at the outset that I have great respect for my colleague, Senator Coburn. The resolution before us seeks to provide a special carve-out for the practice of medicine, and medicine only, from the current Senate rules limiting outside compensation and income. The Senate rules that govern this issue and their interpretation do not come at the whim of the Senate Rules or Senate Ethics Committees, but from a longstanding determination and precedent of this body. In fact, this has been a part of the Senate rules since 1977, when the original Senate Code of Conduct was adopted. The committee that was established to develop the Senate Code of Conduct was known as the Nelson Committee, after its chairman, Senator Gaylord Nelson, and specifically addressed the restrictions on Senators practicing fiduciary professions in its report by saying: This provision reflects the committee's belief that the practice of a profession usually requires substantial amounts of personal involvement and time, and may also present conflicts of interest or in some cases the appearance of such conflicts. During the Senate debate in 1977 on these rules, Senator Strom Thurmond delivered a strong statement on the purpose and the intent behind including the prohibition on Members of the Senate from continuing to practice and being compensated for outside professional work.…”