DES MOINES, Iowa – On Friday, U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, announced legislation she introduced with U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Ill., that would ban senior executive branch employees from lobbying the agency they were employed for five years after they leave their positions. Hinson said this is part of her effort to clean up Washington.
The “Promoting the Unbiased Role of Employees in the Executive Act” (PURE Executive Act) also bans senior executive branch employees from lobbying on behalf of foreign agents for life.
“Washington insiders shouldn’t be able to leave their taxpayer funded posts and use their status to immediately cash out and lobby their politician friends, and they should never be able to use sensitive U.S. intelligence to benefit a foreign adversary. This is exactly the kind of corruption Iowans sent me to Congress to fight against. It might be an uphill battle, but I will keep fighting to clean up Washington,” Hinson said in a released statement.
“The American people deserve to know that senior government officials are fully committed to working for them, not planning on immediately using their connections to land lucrative lobbying jobs for special or foreign interests,” Foster said in a statement. “The PURE Executive Act is an important step towards fighting corruption in Washington. I am proud to work with Rep. Hinson on this legislation to help restore trust in our public institutions.”
Hinson told the press this bill was part of her campaign promise to clean up Washington.
“This is really a common-sense bill. Public servants should not be able to turn around and use their connections to cash out and lobby their politician friends,” she said.
The Iowa Torch asked Hinson planned to address former members of Congress and congressional staffers lobbying.
“That’s something I would absolutely look at, and right now, I wanted to focus on the executive branch. I see that as a priority for rolling out phase one, but I’m definitely looking at other options to help clean up Washington,” she told The Iowa Torch.
Hinson also introduced legislation that would repeal the estate tax, also known as the “death tax.”
“The death tax is a hefty tax imposed on family farms, ranches, and businesses if a loved one passes away,” she said during the press call.
“I’ve heard a lot about this issue from family farmers in Iowa. They’re pouring their hearts and their souls into their operations over generations, and the death tax is fundamentally unfair. It just makes it hard for family farms, family-owned farms, to do their job to plan ahead,” Hinson explained.
She also discussed her co-sponsorship of the Crime Victims Fund Act. The crime victims fund is at a 20-year low. It would ensure a dedicated funding stream to this fund from monetary penalties from federal prosecutions.
Listen to the press call below:
Read the PURE Executive Act below:
