Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez Testifies on Her Bills to Clean Up Congress

WASHINGTON, DC — Last week, Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez attended a hearing held by the House Committee on Rules to advocate for changes to House rules for next Congress. She urged the committee to enact a number of reforms within the U.S. House of Representatives. Among these reforms were an effort to create cognitive standards for members of the House, to form a Select Committee to explore Electoral Reform options, allow for remote committee testimonies, and to expand the code of conduct to ban Members of Congress from sleeping with House staff.  

Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez testifies in front of the Rules Committee

Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez opened her testimony asking committee members to consider the adoption of her BRIDGE to Congress Resolution to allow remote witness testimony at Congressional hearings. The Congresswoman noted that for too long everyday people and people who live far from the Capitol face significant burdens in coming to DC to speak in front of their representatives. This provision hopes to bring local issues into committee spotlights and reduce the influence of lobbyists and paid policy professionals.

“For a constituent in Southwest Washington, testifying in person can mean taking time off work, finding child or elder care, and paying for a plane ticket and hotel in Washington, D.C. Most working families I know simply can’t afford that,” said Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez, “The result is a witness pool that lacks geographic, economic, and lived-experience diversity. Instead of hearing directly from a fisherman in Pacific County or a shop teacher in Skamania County, Congress gets a feedback-loop from people paid to discuss policy. That leads to bad policy and erodes public trust.”

The Congresswoman continued her testimony by urging the adoption of her resolution establishing a bipartisan Select Committee on Electoral Reform. Throughout her time in congress, Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez has pursued options for making Congress a more representative body to the average American. The Electoral Reform Select Committee Act was the first piece of legislation she introduced in the 119th Congress. If formed, the bipartisan Select Committee would investigate options such as multi-member districts with proportional representation, expanding the House, and independent redistricting commissions to improve the responsibility members of Congress have to their constituents. 

“Regardless of party or ideology, more and more Americans feel that our democracy isn’t working for them. Americans feel unrepresented and are losing faith in a government that they view as unreflective of their communities and values.” Said Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez, “As Members of Congress, we need to take a step back, reexamine how we got here, and work toward what we can do to fix it.”

Video of the Congresswoman’s remarks can be found here:

Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez continued her testimony by reminding the committee that accountability and trust in Congress demands they take action on the instances of sexual misconduct that have plagued this Congress. 

“This is about trust, accountability, and not giving powerful people a free pass to continue perpetuating a culture of sexual assault and misconduct. Americans deserve to know that their elected officials are held to high standards–and that their representatives are hellbent on making this institution work better for the American people,” Said Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez, “As members, we are here to work – not date. The next rules package should include a code of conduct that prohibits Members of Congress from having sexual relationships with House staff, no matter where that staffer works—whether in another Member’s personal office, a committee, or a caucus.”

Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez ended her testimony by once again raising her mental acuity standards provision to her colleagues in the House. She has made repeated efforts to urge the Office of Congressional Conduct to create a standard of conduct as it relates to members suffering from significant and irreversible cognitive decline. Recently she offered this provision in the Appropriations Committee as an amendment to the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act. The amendment failed overwhelmingly, with Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez casting the only yes vote on the entire committee. 

“Americans elect Members of Congress to be their voice in Washington, and that responsibility comes with a clear standard of conduct. Clause 1 of Rule XXIII of the Rules of the House requires Members to ‘behave at all times in a manner that shall reflect creditably on the House.’” Said Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez, “When a Member is no longer able to fulfill the responsibilities of the office because of a significant and irreversible cognitive impairment, and unelected staff are effectively running the office on that Member’s behalf, we have to establish a process to evaluate and address it.”

####