House Trims Restrictions From Lobby Bill

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

(05-15) 16:31 PDT WASHINGTON, (AP) --

A lobbying reform bill discussed Tuesday by House Democrats would allow lobbyists to continue collecting campaign money anonymously for members of Congress.

Several provisions in a Senate-passed lobbying reform bill were not included in the draft of a House version that Democratic leaders plan to unveil this week, a sign that some lawmakers fear the restrictions went too far.

The House draft would not require lobbyists to disclose "bundling" practices in which they solicit and deliver multiple donations for a congressional candidate, party leaders said. Nor would it require retired or defeated lawmakers to wait two years before becoming a lobbyist, party leaders said.

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Top House Democrats said some of the omitted provisions might be added as amendments to the bill in the Judiciary Committee or House floor later this month. But their omission from the original version reflected the opposition that numerous Democrats raised in a feisty closed-door party caucus meeting Tuesday, lawmakers said.




Read more: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/05/15/national/w163145D57.DTL

[rpannier]

1. back-tracking weasels

Anyone who complained about the original restrictions can rot.

[pscot]

2. It would appear the Democrats

have not learned one god damned thing while they were out of power. It's just business as usual.

[Kelvin Mace]

3. We need to indentify the folks who "trimmed" the

bill and target them in the primaries.

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[brentspeak]

5. s/d

[EST]

6. If the dems are planning to become republickers in these

matters, they will be treated like it. We did not go through the hell we've been through just to end up with the same old shit. Whoever proposed this nonsense needs to be reported on right now, so we can get rid of them.

[Mojorabbit]

7. Sometimes I just

want to give up.