Tester Sponsors Bill to Clean Up Washington

Senator Pushes to Permanently Ban Former Members of Congress from Lobbying

(U.S. Senate)-Senator Jon Tester is continuing his push to clean up Washington, D.C. and increase accountability in the federal government by leading an effort to permanently ban former members of Congress from becoming registered lobbyists.

Tester is sponsoring the Close the Revolving Door Act. This bill will ban former members of Congress from becoming lobbyists, while also increasing the period of time staffers are prohibited from registering as lobbyists after leaving Congress.

“Folks across Montana expect their government to be open and honest,” Tester said. “This bill will help clean up Washington, increase transparency, and hold folks in Congress accountable to their real bosses-the American people.”

Additionally, the bill would create a website, lobbyists.gov, to provide easily searchable information on lobbying activities. It also increases the maximum penalty for violating the Lobbying Disclosure Act from $200,000 to $500,000.

Tester has been a champion of government accountability and transparency throughout his tenure in the Senate, pushing countless pieces of reform legislation over the last 10 years. These include the STOCK Act, which prohibits members of Congress or their staff from using knowledge gained through their Congressional work for personal financial gain. Tester has also fought hard to require Senate candidates to post their quarterly campaign finance reports online – something he already does voluntarily.

Tester was the first member of Congress and is still the only member of Montana’s Congressional Delegation to post his daily public schedule on his website.