Congress Sends Lobbying Overhaul to President’s Desk

Congress passed the first major lobbying and ethics reform legislation this week. S. 1, the Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act, passed through both chambers with large bipartisan report (83-14 in the Senate and 411-8 in the House). Many Republicans criticized the bill for not going far enough to end the private and often unethical practices on Capitol Hill, but after a year and a half of failed legislation after the public downfall of former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, even critics feel this is a step in the right direction.

Under the bill:

• Earmark sponsors have to be identified, and the earmark information must be posted in a publicly available database at least 48 hours before any votes on the provisions;
• Members of Congress, as well as presidential candidates, have to start paying the equivalent of charter fares for rides on private planes;
• Members and their staffs are barred from accepting gifts from lobbyists;
• Congressional and presidential candidates are required to report when lobbyists arranged donations and delivered them as bundled contributions once the bundles reach $15,000 during a six-month period;
• Senators may still place anonymous holds on nominations and legislation, but the cloak of anonymity could dissolve after six days with the unanimous consent of the Senate;
• Committee chairmen are required to identify any “congressionally directed spending item,” limited tax benefit or limited trade benefit; and
• The majority leader or parliamentarian would identify “dead of night” provisions added to conference reports that were not passed in either the House or Senate version of the underlying legislation.

Nearly a year and a half after the Abramoff scandal, this legislation marks the first advanced step toward lobbying and ethics reform. Both the House and Senate adopted certain rules for their own proceedings, but these rules do not constitute federal law. As such, this bill is lauded as the most significant institutional overhaul effort in more than a generation. S. 1 now heads to the White House for the President’s signature.

Resources:
Bart Jansen, “Changes Already a Topic for Just-Cleared Lobbying and Ethics Measure,” CQ Today, August 2, 2007.
Tory Newmyer, “Senate Passes Ethics Reform; Measure Moves to White House for Signature,” Congress Now, August 2, 2007.
Author: SAS