Pocan releases ethics reform platform, gains endorsement of Clean Wisconsin Action Fund

Yesterday Democratic State Rep. Mark Pocan released his federal ethics reform platform, making clear his commitment to ethics reforms for members of Congress.

Here are some of the key provisions of Rep. Pocan’s ethics reform platform:

• Support legislation that allows for public funding of qualified federal candidates.
• Extend the ban against lobbying or government consulting by former members of Congress from one to five years.
• Restore the provisions of the STOCK Act which allow for increased investigative power in combating Congressional insider trading.
• Prevent members of Congress from introducing or co-sponsoring measures that direct funds to companies they’re invested in.

In a statement released along with his reform platform, Rep. Pocan said,

“There are so many ways for special interests to get their money into campaigns and into Congress. Despite their influence on the process, I have always maintained that we can fight back. Here in Wisconsin I helped pass a law to publicly fund judicial elections. It was the beginning of publicly-financed campaigns at the state level. I’m running for Congress because I believe we can start that process in Washington as well if we have battle-tested voices advocating for our values.”

In unrelated news, Rep. Pocan’s Congressional campaign also announced on Tuesday it had received the endorsement of the Clean Wisconsin Action fund.

Here’s what Clean Wisconsin had to say about Rep. Pocan:

“Pocan’s length of service to the state and breadth of experience working on environmental policies at high levels make him a great candidate for the 2nd Congressional District,” said Clean Wisconsin Director of Government Relations Amber Meyer Smith. “Pocan has fought for important issues like preventing phosphorus from running into our waterways, increasing clean, renewable wind energy and recycling. His personal and professional commitment to protecting clean air and water will serve our natural resources well in Congress.”

Clean Wisconsin Action Fund joins 23 labor unions, the Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans, Fair Wisconsin, Human Rights Campaign, and the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund as endorsers of Pocan’s campaign for Congress.