Ethics Bill On New Journey Through Congress
By James Benton
Posted on Tue Jul 31, 2007 at 01:36:58 PM EST
UPDATE: The House this morning passed a new lobbying and ethics reform bill, 411-8. This vote sets up a cloture vote in the Senate on Thursday that will determine whether the bill makes it to the president's desk for his signature. (James)
A new ethics bill, negotiated by House and Senate Democrats, is on its way through Congress this week.
The new bill came up after Senate Republicans, incluidng Jim DeMint, R-SC, and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY, objected to appointing conferees for the ethics and lobbying bills (S 1, HR 2316) both passed by the House and Senate.
This bill requires increased disclosure of bundled campaign contributions from lobbyists. But the information will be filed with the Federal Election Commission instead of the House and Senate.
The reporting requirements for bundled campaign contributions are triggered when lobbyists steer more than $15,000 worth of federal campaign contributions within six months, or $30,000 within a year.
The bill will also keep different revolving-door restrictions on former lawmakers. Senators will be barred from lobbying colleagues for two years after leaving office, but the current one-year lobbying ban stays in effect for the House.
The bill is on the floor of the House today under "suspension of the rules." This means it cannot be amended and must pass with at least two thirds of all members voting in favor of it. (For instance, if all 435 members voted, the bill would have to receive 290 'yes' votes in order to pass.)
Should the bill emerge from the House today, it will have to survive a cloture motion in the Senate before the Senate can vote on it by the end of the week.
If all that happens, and the bill clears both the House and Senate, it will then go to the White House to be signed into law. We're hoping to have something to celebrate by the end of the week, so stay tuned.
Tags: Jim DeMint, Mitch McConnell, Ethics in Government, ethics (all tags)
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