BREAKING: House Passes Sham Ethics Reform

[kpete]

BREAKING: House Passes Sham Ethics Reform

House conservatives just passed their “sham” lobbying reform bill by a narrow 217-214 vote. The Washington Post called the legislation “diluted snake oil” and “an insult to voters.” Instead of the comprehensive reform promised by lawmakers in early 2006, this bill fails to reform parts of the system most in need.

A look at what this bill is missing:

– No Restrictions on Lavish Gifts: Current gift limits will remain unchanged.

– No Ban Free Exotic Trips: Lawmakers will still be able to accept lavish privately-funded trips from lobbyists.

– No Increase in Lobbyist Transparency: Lobbyists can continue to pay $25,000 or $50,000 for a campaign fundraiser, with no oversight.

– No Ethics Training for Members: Ethics training will be mandatory for all congressional staff, but not for members

more at:
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/05/03/house-sham-ethics/

[napi21]

1. GOoD! This will be a GREAT documented issue for the Dems

to run on in Nov!

[YellowRubberDuckie]

3. But they won't...Because they would need spines to do that....

:shrug:

[NI4NI]

2. 217-214

Appears like quite a few Republicans thought it was a sham as well.

[spanone]

4. 'A plague on both of your houses'

It's broken.