Fiscally Responsible Budget. Passed conference report on S.Con.Res. 21, FY 2008 Budget Resolution, which balances the budget over five years, re-imposes strict pay-as-you-go budget discipline to end new deficit spending, and reinvigorates efforts to eliminate wasteful spending and improve government efficiency, by a vote of 214 to 209. (In two of the last three years, the Republican-controlled Congress had failed to adopt a budget conference report.) No presidential signature required.
Congressional Ethics Reform. Passed H.Res. 6, Honest Leadership Package, which includes an ethics reform package, including banning gifts and travel from lobbyists and the organizations that employ them and ending the influence-for-hire K Street Project, by a bipartisan vote of 430-1, with 198 Republicans voting YEA. No presidential signature required.
Lobbying Reform. Passed the conference report on S. 4, Honest Leadership and Open Government Act, which is the most sweeping lobbying reform measure in a generation and is designed to help end the tight-knit relationship between lobbyists and lawmakers, including increasing disclosure of lobbyists’ contributions to lawmakers and establishing an online public database of lobbyist disclosure information, by a bipartisan vote of 411-8, with 190 Republicans voting YEA. The bill is headed to the President’s desk.
Pensions of Convicted Members. Passed H.R. 476, Congressional Pension Forfeiture Act, which requires Members convicted of certain federal offenses forfeit their congressional pension rights, by a unanimous vote of 431-0, with 198 Republicans voting YEA. Incorporated into conference report on S. 4, Honest Leadership Act, which is headed to President’s desk.
Reform of House Page Program. Passed H.R. 475, House Page Board Oversight, which improves oversight of the House Page Program by requiring regular meetings of the Page Board, making it fully bipartisan, and adding a former page and the parent of a page to the board, by a unanimous vote of 416-0, with 190 Republicans voting YEA. The President signed the bill on February 2 (PL 110-2).
U.S. Attorneys. Passed S. 214, Preserving Independence of U.S. Attorneys, thereby clearing the bill for the President, which better ensures the independence of U.S. attorneys, by repealing a 2006 provision allowing the Attorney General to make indefinite interim appointments of U.S. attorneys, by a bipartisan vote of 306-114, with 80 Republicans voting YEA. The President signed the bill on June 14 (PL 110-34).
Barring Spouses from Campaign Payrolls. Passed H.R. 2630, Barring Spouses of Candidates from Being on Campaign Payrolls, which prohibits federal office holders and candidates from employing their spouses in their campaign and also requires the disclosure of all other immediate family members who are employed by the candidate’s campaign, by voice vote.
Whistleblower Protections. Passed H.R. 985, Whistleblower Protections Act, which strengthens protections for federal whistleblowers to prevent retaliation against those who report federal waste, fraud and abuse, by a bipartisan vote of 331-94, with 102 Republicans voting YEA. The President has threatened to veto.
D.C. Voting Rights. Passed H.R. 1905, D.C. Voting Rights Act, which provides a vote in Congress to the 600,000 residents of the District of Columbia and a new, at-large seat through the 112th Congress to the state next entitled to representation (which is Utah, according to the Census), by a vote of 241-177, with 22 Republicans voting YEA. The President has threatened to veto.
Disclosure of Presidential Records. Passed H.R. 1255, Disclosure of Presidential Records, which restores public access to former presidents’ official papers, nullifying a 2001 executive order that gave current and former presidents (and their heirs) broad authority to withhold official presidential documents, by a bipartisan vote of 333-93, with 104 Republicans voting YEA. The President has threatened to veto.
Accountability in Contracting. Passed H.R. 1362, Accountability in Contracting Act, which cleans up government contracting abuses and “no bid” contracts that companies like Halliburton and KBR have made infamous, by a bipartisan vote of 347-73, with 119 Republicans voting YEA.
Strengthening Freedom of Information Act. Passed H.R. 1309, Freedom of Information Act Amendments, which strengthens the Freedom of Information Act to better protect the public’s right to know and make the government more transparent, by a bipartisan vote of 308-117, with 80 Republicans voting YEA.
Corporate Accountability. Passed H.R. 1257, Shareholder Vote on Executive Compensation Act, which enhances the accountability of corporate management to shareholders, by allowing a non-binding vote by shareholders on executive compensation plans, by a bipartisan vote of 267-134, with 55 Republicans voting YEA.
Reforming SBA Disaster Aid Program. Passed H.R. 1361, SBA Disaster Aid Overhaul, which overhauls the SBA disaster assistance program in response to the SBA’s disastrous performance after the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes, by a vote of 267-158, with 40 Republicans voting YEA.
Preventing Voter Deception and Voter Intimidation. Passed H.R. 1281, Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act, which is designed to combat the numerous, documented efforts to deceive or intimidate voters to keep them away from the polls, by making voter deception a federal crime and increasing the penalties for voter intimidation, by voice vote.