Sometimes, when the political stars align and lawmaker’s egos recede just enough, real progress can come out of Washington.
Tuesday, a day after the FBI and IRS raided the Alaska home of Sen. Ted Stephens, R-Alaska, the House approved legislation 411-8 to toughen ethics and lobbying rules.
Stephens is under investigation for allegedly directing millions of dollars in earmarks – or the allocation of pork-barrel money for a specific project within a bill – to benefit family, friends and business partners.
The legislation will require House and Senate members to disclose lobbyists who raise $15,000 or more for them within a six-month period, typically by "bundling" donations from a number of people, CNN reported.
Senators will also have to publicly disclose their earmarks 48 hours before voting in online databases, as well as declaring that their families would not benefit directly from any "earmarks" they put forth, CNN reported.
In addition, the bill pulls in K Street’s reigns as well. Former House members will have to wait a year before they will be able to lobby Congress in person. Senators will have to wait two years.
But just when you think lawmakers seem to be shaking off the hangover from the freewheeling spending spree that has been the last few sessions, you take a closer look at the earmarking part of the legislation and realize that they came oh-so-close to setting things straight, but missed.
In a recent Wall Street Journal editorial, the financial newspaper criticized the Democrat-led congress for dulling the bill’s teeth.
"Only congressfolk could take pride in claiming they can be corrupted by a free lunch," The Wall Street Journal said.
"These ethics ‘reforms’ do less to limit the members than they do to limit the ability of the voters to influence their elected representatives."
WSJ’s core complaint is valid, if not a little excessive.
It’s all true. Like The Journal says, the bill has no prohibition for allowing politicians to trade earmarks for votes, no restriction (only a promise) that members and their staff would not promote earmarks that would benefit them or their families directly; and while all further earmarks must be posted on a database, it is only required if it is ‘technically feasible’ – a convenient loophole.
In 2005, pork-barrel earmarks cost taxpayers some $27 billion. There is a serious problem, and Congress needs to do something about it. Reform comes in baby steps, though, and this one was in the right direction. But more needs to be done in the future if Congress wants to elevate the trust of the American people.
They’ve got a long way to go. According to a June CBS News poll, 59 percent of Americans say that this Congress has done less than it usually does in the first six months.
Next election, when you choose whom you will vote to represent you, make sure they support full ethics and lobbying reform.
Or at least another baby step.
Casey Wooten, The Daily Cougar opinion editor, can be reached at [email protected]
