Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush wants to reform the lobbying system in Washington, and part of his plan involves enacting stricter guidelines on former lawmakers becoming lobbyists.
According to Politico, the former Florida governor said Monday he wants to stop ex-members of the House and Senate from becoming lobbyists until six years after they have left the Capitol.
Current rules stipulate that House members wait one year before becoming lobbyists and senators wait two years.
"If I am elected president, I will use all of my influence to enact into law an immediate, unequivocal six-year ban on lobbying — a full Senate term — for ex-members of the House and Senate," Bush said in a Tallahassee speech, reports Politico.
Bush also wants to place restrictions on former White House officials,
according to a Washington Post story.
"I will strengthen existing prohibitions that prevent departing executive branch employees from lobbying members of my administration," Bush said.
"Every time a lobbyist meets with any member of Congress, that should be reported online — every week, and on the member's official website."
According to Politico, Bush pointed to the growing size of the government as one factor that has led to lobbying being such a big business in the nation's capital.
"It's the relentless expansion of government that made lobbying Washington's premier growth industry," Bush said. "Spending on lobbying has risen by more than 45 percent over the past decade, translating to $12.5 million per member of Congress. Restrain federal spending and bureaucratic meddling, and we'll disrupt the culture that thrives on big government."
According to a separate Washington Post story last week, a group of lobbyists contributed $228,400 to Bush's presidential campaign. He's also garnered support from lobbyists at major companies, such as Microsoft, Verizon, Goldman Sachs, and Hewlett-Packard, the Post reported.
Earlier this year, it was reported that Bush's nonprofit,
the Foundation for Excellence in Education, came under fire for lobbying for laws that benefited for-profit companies.