March 23, 2012

VICTORY: Retiring Lawmaker Rep. Brad Miller Commits To Disclosing Any Job Negotiations With Lobbyists

Members of Congress who become lobbyists get huge paydays. A dozen lawmakers-turned-lobbyists we looked at got an average raise of 1,452%.

So we sent a letter to the 35 retiring members of Congress asking them to disclose any job negotiations they’re having for their post-congressional careers — so at least the public would know what’s being offered to lawmakers who are still governing our lives.

Earlier this week, Rep. Dale Kildee (D-MI) told us that it should be law for there to be disclosure. Then, Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH) refused to make such a commitment.  But we also spoke to Rep. Brad Miller (D-NC) this week about our proposal. Miller said that he has no plans to become a lobbyist but if he does ever enter negotiations to become one, he will disclose them on his website:

 
 

To be clear, Rep. Miller did not commit to everything we’re seeking — we think members of Congress should disclose all job offers and negotiations, not just those meeting the definition of a lobbyist, because that definition has too many loopholes, and there are too many other jobs connected to pressuring Congress.  So we appreciate Mr. Miller’s leadership on this issue, and we will follow up and ask him to make the full commitment.

We’re still waiting to hear back from 32 retiring members of Congress. Help us get the word out by signing our petition and using Facebook and Twitter to share our campaign.