John Hope Bryant: “The plain fact is this. We have a bill on the floor today which is going to say that henceforth, a lobbyist whose only…”

“The plain fact is this. We have a bill on the floor today which is going to say that henceforth, a lobbyist whose only job is to come and influence us cannot pay for our greens fees. We ought to pay for them ourselves. He cannot buy us meals. We ought to pay for them ourselves. He cannot provide entertainment. If we want entertainment, we should pay for it ourselves. That is what is at issue here today. I regret having to deal with this. I will stick by my guns from a moment ago. I think it is a fact that 99 percent of the Members of this House are not influenced by those expenditures, but the perception that we are, to a large extent, has been fostered by the comments like those we have heard today from the other side of the aisle, as well as a few on our side of the aisle. Unfortunately, we have to deal with it. The fact of the matter is that we have got a bill on the floor today that deals with it in a way that makes sense. I do not know about these loopholes. I heard the gentleman from Florida talking a while ago about loopholes, and he keeps talking about loopholes. I do not see any loopholes. There are no loopholes in this bill. That is the fact. Members cannot make those expenditures anymore.”