Herb Kohl: “In the past few years, the newspapers were consistently laden with stories of scandal at every level of government. In…”

“In the past few years, the newspapers were consistently laden with stories of scandal at every level of government. In November, the American people told us that they were tired of Congressional corruption. And today, the Senate finally acted. Despite countless hurdles and setbacks, today Congress will pass the most significant overhaul of lobbying and ethics rules in decades, and in doing so will fundamentally change the way we do business here. Just as I did last year when I spoke on similar legislation, I want to make it clear to my constituents that I take no contributions from special interest PACS or lobbyists. I am beholden to no one except the people of Wisconsin, and I hold myself and my office to the highest standard of conduct regardless of any legislation. But the growing number of scandals--and the strengthened voice of the American people against that corruption--made clear the need for this legislation. I have heard some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle argue that this bill does not constitute true change. While these individuals focus on what they see as shortcomings, I choose to focus on the monumental reforms contained in the bill. The bill includes important restrictions on gifts and travel from lobbyists. It prevents a ``revolving door'' scenario, one in which Senators and senior staff are given complete access to lobby their former colleagues.”