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FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
Contact: Maggie Duncan
February 14, 2008
(202) 263-1332
www.lwv.org
mduncan@lwv.org
League Lists
Congressional Votes on Good Government issues
Ethics
Votes Highlighted
Washington, D.C.– Congressional enactment of far-reaching
new ethics and lobbying reform was a highlight of the first session of
the 110th
Congress according to the non-partisan League of Women
Voters of the United
States. The League today, on its
88th
birthday, released its listing of key “good government” votes in the
House of Representatives and the Senate in 2007.
“Voters need to
know how the people they elect to represent them vote on critical
issues,” said national League president
Mary G.
Wilson. “Ethics, campaign finance and global climate change are
just a few of the important government reforms voters feel strongly
about. This new League resource allows
citizens to look up their representatives and see how they acted on key
issues and legislation.”
The League’s
listing includes nine Senate votes and six House votes on a range of
issues, including children’s health care, civil liberties,
election reform and voting rights for the
District of
Columbia.
It also provides a list of each member of Congress and
his or her votes on issues that are priorities for the League and its
thousands of members and supporters across the country.
To see the list of key votes, click here.
The U.S. Congress reacted
swiftly and resoundingly to the loud calls from voters for reform
following the scandals and ethics breaches that dominated the news and
federal elections in 2006. The historic changes require disclosure of campaign
contributions collected or arranged (“bundled”) by
lobbyists, limit special-interest-funded travel and gifts to
legislators, and require disclosure of “earmarks” directing
federal spending to a legislator’s pet projects. “The
critical remaining ethics issue is to create an independent ethics
enforcement process in the House,” said
Wilson. “The League calls on the House
leadership to move ahead quickly on this essential reform,” she
said.
”As we celebrate
the 88th
anniversary of the League, our members are hard at work
in over 850 communities, urging government officials at all levels to
act responsively to the voting public,” Wilson concluded.
“This new tool provides Americans with a quick and easy way to see
whether their representatives are holding up their end of the bargain
here in our nation’s capital.”
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The League of Women
Voters, a nonpartisan political organization,
encourages informed and active participation in government, works to
increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences
public policy through education and advocacy.
Membership in the League is open to men
and women of all ages. With more than 88 years of experience and 850
local and state affiliates, the League is one of
America’s
most trusted grassroots organizations.
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