Home About Chat Users Issues Party Candidates Polling Firms Media News Polls Calendar Key Races United States President Senate House Governors International

New User Account
"A comprehensive, collaborative elections resource." 
Email: Password:

  Senate Passes Ethics Package
NEWS DETAILS
Parent(s) Issue 
ContributorArmyDem 
Last EditedArmyDem  Jan 19, 2007 01:10pm
Logged 0
CategoryNews
MediaNewspaper - Washington Post
News DateFriday, January 19, 2007 07:00:00 PM UTC0:0
DescriptionParties Reach Hard-Fought Deal On Lobbying and Other Reforms

By Jonathan Weisman and Jeffrey H. Birnbaum
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, January 19, 2007; Page A01

Senate Democrats and Republicans broke a difficult stalemate last night and approved 96 to 2 expansive legislation to curtail the influence of lobbyists, tighten congressional ethics rules and prevent the spouses of senators from lobbying senators and their staffs.

The Senate legislation, hailed by proponents as the most significant ethics reform since Watergate, would ban gifts, meals and travel funded by lobbyists, and would force lawmakers to attach their names to special-interest provisions and pet projects that they slip into bills. Lawmakers would have to pay charter rates on corporate jets, not the far-cheaper first-class rates they pay now.

The House earlier this month approved similar language as part of an internal rules change. But other portions of the Senate-passed measure would carry the weight of law and would have impacts far beyond the Capitol. The House would have to pass comparable legislation for those provisions to take effect.
Share
ArticleRead Full Article

NEWS
Date Category Headline Article Contributor

DISCUSSION