Fred Harteis News Articles- The Senate gave final approval today to a sweeping package of new ethics and lobbying rules, with an overwhelming majority of Republicans and Democrats agreeing to better police the relationship between lawmakers and lobbyists.
If President Bush signs the bill into law — and administration officials have indicated that he will — members of Congress will be subject to a number of new restrictions, which have grown out of a series of scandals. The legislation would ban them from receiving gifts, meals or travel from lobbyists, and would make it more difficult for lawmakers to quickly capitalize on their connections when they leave office.
The measure, which passed the Senate on a vote of 83 to 14, represents a significant cultural shift for Congress. But even as proponents hailed the measure as the broadest reform since Watergate, it remained unclear how the new provisions would be enforced.
Also unclear was whether the bill would change the common but widely criticized practice of inserting provisions for lawmakers’ pet projects, called earmarks, into larger spending bills.
The legislation requires greater disclosure of how such projects are selected for inclusion. That is meant to shed light on the kind of backroom dealing that has been at the root of scandals that have landed four lawmakers in jail and contributed to the recent change in party control of Congress, from Republican to Democratic.
The bill also requires lawmakers to disclose the names of lobbyists who raise $15,000 or more in political contributions for them over a six-month period through the “bundling” of donations.
To read this complete Fred Harteis News article visit our news partner at:
Source; NyTimes.com
About Fred Harteis: Fred Harteis leads Harteis International. Fred Harteis has a background in agriculture and has created many successful business ventures.
