Senator Barack Obama Applauds Passage of Klobuchar Amendment to Ban Corporate-Paid Travel for Federal Regulators

Amendment will be included in the Consumer Product Safety Commission Bill

March 5, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) today released the following statement after the passage of the Klobuchar Amendment to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) bill (S.2663), which would ban CPSC regulators from receiving free trips from companies that they regulate. Obama is a cosponsor of this amendment.

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"The Consumer Product Safety Commission must uphold the highest standards for transparency and accountability. This agency is tasked with the most critical responsibility of protecting American consumers from dangerous products, and its employees should not accept perks or gifts, like subsidized travel, from those they regulate.

"For far too long, the American people have seen their interests defeated by Washington special interests. Just last year, we banned the use of subsidized corporate jets at below market rates for members of Congress to prevent the appearance of unfair influence. We must put an end to the prevailing culture in this town, and strengthening our government's ethics laws is an important priority.

"After millions of toys were recalled last year alone, it's time to give people confidence in their government again. I commend Senator Klobuchar for giving us this chance through her leadership on this amendment."

Source: Senator Barack Obama