2016 KS Senate race: on Government Reform


Patrick Wiesner: No lobbyist-drafted bills; Senators must read all bills

Patrick pledges never to let a lobbyist draft the law; never to depend on his staff to write out the questions he is to ask at a hearing; and never to vote on legislation he hasn't read. His policy is before a Senator can vote on legislation, he or she must read the entire bill, acknowledge understanding the proposed law, and swear that no lobbyist has made a campaign contribution to get their vote. If the Senator can't say yes to all three, they are disqualified from voting.

Patrick believes this is the first step in ending the spectacle of Congress dumping thousands of pages of incomprehensible law on the public and then expecting businesses and government workers to figure out what they and the lobbyists meant.

Source: 2016 Kansas Senate campaign website WiesnerForSenate.com Mar 1, 2016

Greg Orman: Constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United

At a forum titled "Politically Homeless," when asked by an attendee about the inability of independent candidates to compete financially with Republicans and Democrats, Orman's response earned him applause from the crowd: "Personally, I think we need a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United," he said, referring to a 2010 US Supreme Court ruling regarding campaign finance. Orman said the ruling "paralyzes our democracy."
Source: Topeka Capital Journal coverage of 2016 Kansas Senate race Apr 8, 2015

Patrick Wiesner: Lobbyists should never be allowed to draft laws, nor donate

My policy is before a Senator can vote on legislation, he or she must read the entire bill, acknowledge understanding the proposed law, and guarantee that no lobbyist has made a campaign contribution to get their vote. If the Senator can't say yes to all three, they are disqualified from voting. Lobbyists should never be allowed to draft laws or provide the talking points for a hearing.
Source: Emporia Gazette on 2016 Kansas Senate race Aug 2, 2014

  • The above quotations are from 2016 Kansas Senate race: debates and news coverage.
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Candidates and political leaders on Government Reform:

Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:
GA:Chambliss(R)
IA:Harkin(D)
MI:Levin(D)
MT:Baucus(D)
NE:Johanns(R)
OK:Coburn(R)
SD:Johnson(D)
WV:Rockefeller(D)

Resigned from 113th House:
AL-1:Jo Bonner(R)
FL-19:Trey Radel(R)
LA-5:Rod Alexander(R)
MA-5:Ed Markey(D)
MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R)
NC-12:Melvin Watt(D)
SC-1:Tim Scott(R) 		Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:
AR-4:Tom Cotton(R)
GA-1:Jack Kingston(R)
GA-10:Paul Broun(R)
GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R)
HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D)
IA-1:Bruce Braley(D)
LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R)
ME-2:Mike Michaud(D)
MI-14:Gary Peters(D)
MT-0:Steve Daines(R)
OK-5:James Lankford(R)
PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D)
TX-36:Steve Stockman(R)
WV-2:Shelley Capito(R) 		Retired House as of Jan. 2015:
AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R)
AR-2:Tim Griffin(R)
CA-11:George Miller(D)
CA-25:Howard McKeon(R)
CA-33:Henry Waxman(D)
CA-45:John Campbell(R)
IA-3:Tom Latham(R)
MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R)
NC-6:Howard Coble(R)
NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D)
NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R)
NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D)
NY-21:Bill Owens(D)
PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R)
UT-4:Jim Matheson(D)
VA-8:Jim Moran(D)
VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
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Page last updated: Jan 12, 2019