▶ 0:13:54>> today, our committee meets to consider senate resolution 526, based on a simple idea that if congress can't keep the lights on, the united states senate should expect to be paid as usual.
▶ 0:14:23And elected officials should continue to collect full salaries without interruption. The american people should have the right to be frustrated. This resolution authored by senator kennedy is an attempt to address the disconnect, that would set up a clear process after the next general election in the event of a government shutdown, senators could see their payment withheld and released only after
▶ 0:14:53The government reopens. This resolution does not of us from doing our job. The best way to avoid a shutdown is and has always been to pass a four year appropriations bill on time.
▶ 0:15:17Shutdowns happen because we fail to uphold our responsibility and accountability matters. So, I appreciate senator kennedy offering this resolution. It is straightforward and it reflects the basic reality that congress's failures have a wide range in consequences.
▶ 0:15:42With that, I now recognize my collie, senator padilla.
▶ 0:15:49Sen. Padilla: Thank you, Mr. chairman. Good to see you and all of my colleagues here. This committee has a unique charge of upholding the senate's traditions and procedures with the purpose of helping the senate, as a body, function and function on a bipartisan basis. It's in that spirit that I want to thank you, Mr.
▶ 0:16:11Sen. Padilla: Chairman, senator kennedy, and your staffs for your willingness to work with us to address some of the significant concerns that we had with the original version of this resolution. The version of the resolution before us today that we are considering today does reflect changes that we requested, as well as changes that were requested by the secretary of the senate, in order to reduce the legal constitutional and
▶ 0:16:42Sen. Padilla: Operational issues with the original resolution. And because of those changes, I will be recommending that we vote in favor of sending this resolution out of committee, and to the full senate for further consideration. But, before we do that, I want to briefly raise a couple of points that I think the full senate should consider and address before final adoption.
▶ 0:17:07Sen. Padilla: First, I believe that we should treat members of the house and the members of the senate in the same way. Under the senate rules of legislation to do that would be referred to the homeland security and government affairs committee. The current resolution before us is before us, only because it impacts members of the senate and does not speak to members of the house.
▶ 0:17:35Sen. Padilla: But, by doing so, it would place the senate on an equal footing with the house and potentially adversely complicate shutdown negotiations in the future. Second, I appreciate the key changes to take into account the 27th amendment of the constitution. And no law burying the compensation for the senators and representatives shall take place until -- have intervened.
▶ 0:18:05Sen. Padilla: I know it's been partly addressed here. But it's also true that the constitution also says that member pay is to be set by law. Yet, senate resolution 526 is just that. It's a resolution, without the force of law.
▶ 0:18:23Sen. Padilla: So, as a result, I do think the senate must have additional conversations following today's votes, to ensure that this effort is done in a way that the senate is able to constitutionally, and legally, implement. Again, I thank chairman, senator kennedy's good faith work in this resolution into having registered my concerns and I am prepared to support this resolution to the full senate. Thank you, Mr. chairman.
▶ 0:18:54Chair Mcconnell: Thank you, senator padilla. Senator bennett.
▶ 0:19:07Sen. Bennett: I call up bennett amendment number one. My amendment would prohibit former members of congress for registering -- from registering as lobbyists. For their entirety of public service. This amendment address is a serious problem in our democracy, the buying and selling of influence and it's not a new problem. I introduced this legislation in 2010.
▶ 0:19:34Sen. Bennett: Since then, the events and the number of lobbyists has only grown. Last year, spending in federal lobbying reached a new high, topping $4.5 billion with a 37% increase from a decade ago. Research shows that in the 1970's and 1980's, it was relatively rare for former members of congress to become lobbyists. That began to change in the 1990's. That trend has accelerated ever since.
▶ 0:20:00Sen. Bennett: There are now 359 former members who are registered lobbyists. This is not just an issue of how members spend their time, after they leave these halls. It strikes at the core of our democracy. When coloradans or texans or virginians send their elected representatives to washington, they expect them to be focused on their needs and the needs of their communities.
▶ 0:20:26Sen. Bennett: They don't want them to take votes on their next job opportunity. I think most members don't do that. I think most members are serious public servants who put the interest of their constituents first. But even the appearance of this revolving door erodes americans trust in our democracy, our rule of law and our legislative process. This movement puts forward what I think are some commonsense reforms. It bans members from lobbying. It adds nutrient requirements.
▶ 0:21:01Sen. Bennett: That's what the american people respect. It's what they deserve. Thank you, Mr. chairman.
▶ 0:21:08Chair Mcconnell: Senator cruz.
▶ 0:21:12Sen. Cruz: I moved to table the bennett amendment.
▶ 0:21:19Chair Mcconnell: All those in favor say aye. Although supposed say nay. The ayes appear to have it. The bennett amendment is table.
▶ 0:21:41Chair Mcconnell: --
▶ 0:21:44Sen. Ossoff: I call up my amendment, ossoff three. We have a problem, which is members of congress are playing the stock market while sitting in office.
▶ 0:21:58Sen. Ossoff: Buying and selling shares of publicly traded stock, while making decisions on how to regulate those companies, while privy to confidential corporate information, while privy to confidential national security information. And it is so corrosive to public trust in this institution.
▶ 0:22:27Sen. Ossoff: The american people expect their elected representatives to put the public interest first. Not our private financial interests. And yet, time and again, we hear about members of congress in both political parties, trading stocks like that's their day job. Rather than representing the constituents who should be our highest priority.
▶ 0:22:57Sen. Ossoff: This is not controversial, among the american public. Overwhelming majorities of democrats, independents, republicans, want to ban stock trading by members of congress. And we made a lot of progress in the senate in the last couple of years, building a bipartisan coalition to ban it.
▶ 0:23:20Sen. Ossoff: In fact, legislation that senator merkley and I have worked on, with bipartisan colleagues in the homeland security committee, passed out of that committee for the first time with bipartisan support. To ban stock trade by members of congress. That bill still hasn't been brought to the floor. We all know that there are private conversations, members going to folks and leadership saying they don't wanted to come to the floor. We need to get this done.
▶ 0:23:50Sen. Ossoff: We have the opportunity right now, in this committee, to send a powerful message to the american people that we take seriously their deep concern and their justified concern about ethics in the united states congress. My amendment is very simple. In a years time, stock trading by senators is prohibited under senate rules.
▶ 0:24:20Sen. Ossoff: The text of this, the assets that are covered, are all drawn from the painstakingly negotiated bipartisan legislation that's been agreed by the homeland security committee. This will force us, by a date certain, to finish the job of advancing that legislature. This will give the american people confidence that we understand and we accept our job is not to enrich ourselves.
▶ 0:24:47Sen. Ossoff: Our job is to advance the flourishing and prosperity and health of our constituents. So, I understand that there may be some parliamentary effort to avoid a vote on this. I know that there are senators who don't want to take a vote on this. Before we do that, Mr. chairman, why don't we see this as an opportunity?
▶ 0:25:08Sen. Ossoff: What a great day this would be, if, instead of continuing to evade this question, stock trading by senators, this committee, with its reputation for excellence, came together across the aisle and passed this amendment. Banned stock trading by united states senators, to do the right thing. I urge a yes vote.
▶ 0:25:36Chair Mcconnell: Senator murphy? Sen. thank you, Mr. chairman. I second the motion from my colleague from georgia. If there is a motion to table, is that motion debatable? In other words, can we give everyone an opportunity to express their views before this issue is tabled? >> it is not debatable.
▶ 0:26:03Chair Mcconnell: It is not debatable.
▶ 0:26:10Sen. Merkley: I would ask, can you wait until everyone has had a chance to express themselves. It would be a courtesy. I think that courtesy is important because this issue is important.
▶ 0:26:25Sen. Merkley: We all have a collective interest in americans seeing that we act with integrity, that is not corrupted by our concern about our -- over the public interest.
▶ 0:26:44Sen. Merkley: There is no way if you have a huge portfolio, concentrated in a particular area or you have a specific stock that would be affected by legislation, there is not a voice in your head recognizing that and perhaps exercising some influence over how you might act.
▶ 0:27:01Sen. Merkley: If you have a huge renewable energy portfolio, maybe tax credits for renewable energy passed in your mind as, hm, a pretty good idea. If you have a huge inventory of bank stocks or fossil stocks, who knows what? That should never be a voice that influences us.
▶ 0:27:24Sen. Merkley: And this straightforward amendment for ourselves and our spouses is in the interest of this senate, serving the american people. We are at a time when the public opinion of the work we do in congress is incredibly low. And every few months, there is an article.
▶ 0:27:48Sen. Merkley: I saw one this last week, about stock trades that occurred before an important public action was taken and the public oath's, there it goes again, why can't they serve the public? I would encourage us to take this up. I do recognize that this is not legislation that will affect the house. But, I was thinking back to win I became speaker -- when I became speaker of the housing organ.
▶ 0:28:15Sen. Merkley: In our rules, we adopted gift rules that affected only the house of representatives in oregon. We called it the $10 senate. You could give someone an apple pie, a cup of coffee, a t-shirt, a ball cap. But you could not take a person on trips, they could not take them to sweetheart tickets for concerts or the playoffs or so on and so forth.
▶ 0:28:41Sen. Merkley: And it really changed the culture and it led to the oregon legislature adopting a very similar law. So, I think it is well worth -- well worth -- hour doing this here for our senate. -- our doing this here for our senate. We've been debating this for well over a decade. I appreciate my calling from georgia picking up the torch this year and helping to drive this forward. But, let's debate this. Let's vote on this. Let's not table this.
▶ 0:29:12Sen. Merkley: Thank you, Mr. chairman.
▶ 0:29:28Chair Mcconnell: -- amendments must be related to the matter under consideration which is consistent with committee rule four. Your amendment is not related to pay during a government shutdown. >> Mr. chairman, I appeal the ruling of the chair.
▶ 0:29:59Chair Mcconnell: >> Mr. chairman, since senator ossoff has appealed the ruling of the chair, I would move that we table his amendment.
▶ 0:30:18Chair Mcconnell: --
▶ 0:30:21Sen. Awsat: Is the motion to table the amendment or table the appeal?
▶ 0:30:28Chair Mcconnell: An aye vote supports the ruling of the chair. All those opposed, say nay. The ayes have it. Sen. but Sen. b close
▶ 0:31:01Sen. B Clossof: I ask for a recorded vote.
▶ 0:31:05Chair Mcconnell: It appears one third of the members demand a roll call vote. >> senator cruz? >> aye. >> senator hyde-smith yucca >> aye >> senator hyde-smith yucca >> -- hyde-smith >> aye. >> senator schumer? >> no by proxy.
▶ 0:31:35Chair Mcconnell: >> senator merkley? >> no. >> senator bennet? >> no no. >> chairman mcconnell? >> aye. >> the ayes are nine. The nos are eight.
▶ 0:32:08Chair Mcconnell: The ayes are nine and the nos are eight, the motion is agreed to. The question is on ordering the resolution. The reporting quorum is present. All those in favor say aye.
▶ 0:32:40Chair Mcconnell: Although supposed say nay. The ayes have it. I ask that in preparing the measure for reporting, the staff be authorized to make any required technical or conforming changes. Thank you. Everyone will doubt objection may stand adjourned.