House overwhelmingly passes ethics bill

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to require lawmakers to disclose more details of their bids to fund pet projects and their fundraising help from lobbyists

Some self-described watchdog groups called the measure, which now goes to the Senate, the most significant congressional reform in years.

The bill, drafted by Democratic leaders, passed by a vote of 411 to 8. It would require House and Senate members to disclose those lobbyists who raise $15,000 or more for them within a six-month period by "bundling" donations from many people. It also would bar lobbyists and their clients from giving gifts, including meals and tickets, to lawmakers.

Senators seeking targeted spending projects or "earmarks" would have to publicize their plans 48 hours before the Senate votes on the proposals in publicly available data bases, and declare their families would not directly benefit financially. The House made similar changes to its rules governing earmarks in January.

The bill requires former House members to wait a year before lobbying Congress in person. Ex-senators would have to wait two years.

The legislation is largely in response to scandals involving lobbyist Jack Abramoff and former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-California. Both are in prison, convicted of corruption charges that involved lobbyists seeking targeted spending items known as earmarks.

The House voted a day after federal agents searched the Alaska home of Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, who is involved in a probe of alleged bribery attempts by oil services executives.

The bill "mandates unprecedented disclosure of lobbying activities and turns the spotlight on the special interests who have grown too comfortable with their special access," Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Illinois, said during the brief debate preceding the House vote. It "levels the playing field between the special interests and the voters," he said.

House members approved the new legislation even though some privately grumbled that it would complicate their fundraising efforts. Senate leaders expect opposition from some conservative Republicans, but they predicted final passage of the measure by week's end.

Some open-government groups said the bill should have gone further. But others hailed it as a far-reaching response to recent scandals involving lobbyists who urged or even bribed lawmakers to help their clients by quietly slipping earmarks into spending bills.

Fred Wertheimer, director of the nonprofit group Democracy21, called the measure "landmark lobbying and ethics reform."

Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Oklahoma, signaled the bill will meet resistance in the Senate. It "guts key earmark reforms that both houses of Congress approved overwhelmingly," he said.

Coburn particularly objected to a revision that would allow committee chairmen or the Senate majority leader -- not the Senate parliamentarian -- to rule on whether earmark disclosure requirements have been met.

The House-passed bill would:

Prohibit lobbyists and their clients from giving gifts, including meals and tickets, to senators and their staffs. The House adopted a gift ban in January.

Require senators and candidates for the Senate or White House to pay charter rates for trips on private planes. House candidates would be barred from accepting trips on private planes.

Require lobbyists to disclose payments they make to presidential libraries, inaugural committees or organizations controlled by or named for members of Congress.

Bar lawmakers from attending large parties given in their honor by lobbyists at national political conventions.

Bar lawmakers and their aides from trying to influence hiring decisions by lobbying firms and others in exchange for political access.

Deny retirement benefits to members of Congress convicted of bribery, perjury or similar crimes.

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