New Bill Designed to Reduce the “From Lawmaker to Lobbyist” Cycle
Representative Trey Hollingsworth (R-IN) recently announced that he has introduced new legislation that would, if passed, “place a lifetime lobbying ban on former Members of Congress. The Banning Lobbying And Safeguarding Trust (BLAST) Act of 2017 is part of Representative Hollingsworth’s three-pronged approach to government reform.”
“Hoosiers are tired of politicians putting their careers — present or future — ahead of the needs of their constituents,” Rep. Trey Hollingsworth said. “This bill is simple: you can never be a lobbyist after being a Representative or Senator. Congress must put Americans first, solve problems for Americans, and improve the lives of Americans.
“Representative Hollingsworth’s three-pronged approach to government reform contains “term limits, the REINS Act, and a lifetime ban on lobbying by former Members of Congress. The very first piece of legislation that Representative Hollingsworth authored was a constitutional amendment levying term limits on members of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The REINS Act, which was co-sponsored by Representative Hollingsworth, would institute an up-or-down vote by Congress on any rule by an executive agency with an economic impact of $100 million dollars or more on the taxpayer. The REINS Act passed the House earlier this year.
“The BLAST Act will be assigned to the proper committee for consideration. However, this is not the first effort towards such reforms. Previous efforts have failed entirely or were so significantly watered down they had little to no impact.
Meanwhile in the other chamber, Senators Rick Scott (R-FL) and Mike Braun (R-IN) have introduced the similar, Banning Lobbying and Safeguarding Trust (BLAST) Act, which implements a permanent lobbying ban for members of the House of Representatives and the Senate. A lobbying ban on Congress is “part of Senator Rick Scott’s 10-point plan to make Washington work for families, which also includes ending taxpayer-funded Congressional Pensions, implementing term limits, and No Budget, No Pay legislation.
Senator Rick Scott said, “I’m proud to introduce this bill that imposes a permanent ban on members of Congress becoming lobbyists. Rather than serving the public, too many in Washington spend their political careers preparing for a lucrative job at a DC lobbying firm where they can cash in on their connections and their access. Congress should never serve as a training ground for future lobbyists, and putting an end to the revolving door is a common sense way to make Washington work for families.
”Senator Mike Braun said, “One of the reasons I left the private sector for Washington was to help President Trump drain the swamp and we can accomplish this by permanently banning Congressmen and Senators from lobbying Capitol Hill. Together we can end the revolving door of career politicians coming to Washington, spending time in Congress, then enriching themselves from their service to the American people.”
Read more about the efforts in the US House here.
Read more about the efforts in the Senate here.
