Why did the senate have to go and enact ethics reform? You win a sixth term at the party and they take all the fun out of it. Utah’s Senator Hatch joined Tom Coburn to form a coalition of the unwilling against the following ethics reforms that passed 96-2:
- Bar lawmakers from accepting gifts and travel and lodging paid for by lobbyists.
- Extend from one to two years the time a former member must wait before he can engage in lobbying activities.
- Deny pensions to lawmakers convicted of serious crimes.
- Require more reporting by lobbyists on their activities.
- Require public disclosure of those home-state projects.
- Require senators hitching rides on private jets to pay full charter rates rather than the current practice of paying the far-cheaper equivalent of a first-class ticket.
- Require reporting by lobbyists who obtain small donations from clients and then “bundle” them into larger contributions to politicians.
- Prevent spouses of sitting members from lobbying the Senate.
Keep fighting the good fight Senator Hatch! Utah is proud of you!
Makes me want to cry…
Again, Senator Hatch leaves me dumbfounded. If you end up being one of only two people voting against a bill, you had darn well better have a press release in the wings to explain it. At least Coburn had a decent reason for his vote, a protest against the lack of debate on Sen. Bennett’s amendment.
I’m enjoying the contrast in tone you’re adopting in the lesser limelight. From what I saw, you were the epitome of even-handed argumentation as a candidate.
Sen. Hatch is in the Senate for all the perks he can get from the tax payers and others. After all he thinks he has sacrificed
30 years of his life at a Senators pay and benifits. since he thinks everyone owes him a ticket ride because he is a lawyer by
trade. Poor guy I feel sorry for him!.