Scott Brown on Government Reform Republican Jr Senator

Motor Voter registration "outrageous"; it helps Democrats

Massachusetts was finally mailing out half a million voter registration cards. In early August, Scott Brown issued a furious statement calling the state's mailing "outrageous."

Okay, people can laugh and say I'm hopelessly naive, but this issue is a direct shot at democracy. In many states, the Republicans have made voter suppression a regular part of their arsenal, chipping away at early voting. African American voting, Latino voting, immigrant voting, student voting, you-name-it voting.

No pledge to limit outside PAC contributions

Brown made clear he thought the offer was a stunt. "It's hard to view Jeanne Shaheen's actions as anything other than hypocritical and self-serving," he said in a statement. "The people of New Hampshire can see through the Washington-style game she is playing."

Shaheen on Saturday sent a letter to Brown asking him to sign the "People's Pledge," an identical document to the one he agreed to while running against Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in 2012. Shaheen says outside Republican-aligned groups have outspent Democrats in the state by three to one, totaling $1.5 million. The pledge aims to take away the incentive for independent expenditure groups, individuals and Super-PACs from spending in the race to either oppose or support a candidate.

Leader on addressing waste, fraud, and abuse

A. Government needs to be reformed so that it is more transparent and effective for the American people. Senator Brown led an effort to provide Americans with a "taxpayer receipt" that would give them more information about where their tax dollars are spent. He is also the lead sponsor of a bill that bans "insider trading" among Members of Congress and their staffs because he believes that Congress should have to operate under the same rules as the rest of the country. Senator Brown has also been a leader in the Senate on addressing waste, fraud, and abuse. He has conducted thorough oversight of government agencies that have not acted as proper stewards of the taxpayer's money.

Let president decide on nominees

A: I think it's up to the president to determine who's behind him and working with him. And I'll leave that decision [to the president].

Campaign disclosure but no donation limits

A: No.

Q: PAC?

A: No.

Q: Corporate?

A: No.

Q: Political Parties?

A: No.

Q: Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?

A: Yes.

Q: Do you support using state tax revenue to fund the Clean Elections public financing law?

A: Undecided.

Require Internet disclosure of all earmarks.

• Establishes a free public searchable website, listing all requests by Members of Congress for congressionally directed spending items (congressional earmarks).
• Requires each congressional committee, within five calendar days of receipt of a request for a congressional earmark from a Member of Congress, to provide the initial information regarding that request that is required to be placed on the website.
• Makes it out of order to consider any legislation unless it meets the requirements of this Act.

The website shall be comprised of a database including the following information, in searchable format, for each earmark:
1. The fiscal year in which the item would be funded.
2. The number of the bill or joint resolution for which the request is made, if available.
3. The amount of the initial request made by the Member of Congress.
4. The amount approved by the committee of jurisdiction.
5. The amount carried in the bill or joint resolution (or accompanying report) as passed.
6. The name of the department or agency, and the account or program, through which the item will be funded.
7. The name and the State or district of the Member of Congress who made the request.
8. The name and address of the intended recipient.
9. The type of organization (public, private nonprofit, or private for profit entity) of the intended recipient.
10. The project name, description, and estimated completion date.
11. A justification of the benefit to taxpayers.
12. Whether the request is for a continuing project and if so, when funds were first appropriated for such project.
13. A description, if applicable, of all non-Federal sources of funding.
14. Its current status in the legislative process

Sponsored banning stock trading based on Congressional insider knowledge.

Congressional Summary:Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act (STOCK Act): Amends the Securities Exchange Act and the Commodity Exchange Act to prohibit purchase or sale of either securities or commodities by a person in possession of material nonpublic information regarding pending or prospective legislative action.

• Amends the Ethics in Government Act to require formal disclosure of certain securities and commodities futures transactions.
• Amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act to subject to its registration, reporting, and disclosure requirements all political intelligence activities, contacts, firms, and consultants.

Bill explanation (ProCon.org, "Insider Trading by Congress", Feb. 3, 2012):

• On Mar. 17, 2011, Tim Walz (D-MN) introduced the STOCK Act where it gained nine co-sponsors by Nov. 4, 2011.
• On Nov. 13, 2011, the TV show "60 Minutes" reported that several members of Congress allegedly used insider information for personal gain. The STOCK Act received 84 additional House co-sponsors in the five days following the report, and Scott Brown (R-MA) filed the STOCK Act in the Senate on Nov. 15, 2011. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) also filed a variation of the STOCK Act in the Senate on Nov. 17, 2011.
• On Jan. 24, 2012, in his State of the Union Address, President Obama said "Send me a bill that bans insider trading by members of Congress, and I will sign it tomorrow."
• Immediately after the speech, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) told reporters, "I think people should have enough sense not to do it [insider trading] without legislation, but I will support legislation."
• On Feb. 2, 2012, a revised version of the STOCK Act passed in the Senate by a vote of 96-3 with Senators Richard Burr (R-NC), Tom Coburn (R-OK), and Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) dissenting.