Wednesday evening, the U.S. Senate voted 96-3 to pass the STOCK Act (Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act), a bill that would explicitly ban insider trading by members and staff of Congress and federal agencies.
It’s what I would call a “no brainer” to rebuild the trust between Washington politicians and the American public, and the Republican Congress should pass it without delay.
But there’s more work to be done. Congress should pass a comprehensive legislation to take the corrosive influence of corporate money out of our politics and strengthen the ethical standards expected of elected representatives.
There’s hope. This week, my proud state of New Mexico became the first in the nation to pass a resolution in the State House of Representatives calling on Congress to send the states a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. I’m proud to be co-sponsoring a State Senate resolution mirroring what was passed in the House. I hope New Mexico’s leadership on limiting corporate influence in our democracy will be joined by other states quickly.
I’m also sponsoring a comprehensive package of campaign finance and ethics reforms in the current session of the state legislature, including:
- Public financing for all state public offices.
- An independent ethics commission to oversee state elected officials.
- A ban on state contractors contributing to campaigns.
Some other bills I’ve sponsored in the past few years include closing corporate tax loopholes and asking the richest 1% to pay a more fair tax rate.
As a proud reformer, I look forward to working on these issues on the federal level. So please help me win in 2012 with a $3 contribution today.
Thanks for your support.
Onward!
Eric Griego
Democrat for Congress (NM-1)
____________
Eric Griego is a New Mexico State Senator and former Albuquerque City Councilor running for the open seat in New Mexico’s First Congressional District. He is on the Daily Kos Orange to Blue list.
The seat is currently held by Democratic Rep. Martin Heinrich, who is running for the open U.S. Senate seat. The NM-1 district is rated “Likely Democratic” by the Cook Political Report and Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball.
Currently, Griego is leading all the candidates in the race in fundraising, with more than 13,000 grassroots donors powering his campaign.
Griego is also leading the field in local and national political endorsements and organizational support. His fast-growing Democratic coalition consists of labor unions, environmental groups, national and local progressive organizations, and local grassroots supporters that already number more than 25,000 members in the district – approximately half of the votes expected to be cast in the 2012 Democratic congressional primary.
Learn more about Eric Griego.