Hoping to dispel the notion that members of Congress are in the pocket of lobbyists, the Senate on Thursday rejected efforts to weaken legislation that would limit the gifts and meals senators and representatives can accept and abolish free entertainment and travel for recreational purposes like ski trips.
The House of Representatives passed a similar measure in March. So once the full bill passes the Senate, as leaders say it certainly will, the restrictions on gifts and travel and new rules on public disclosure by lobbyists that have already been approved by both chambers are almost certain to become law as soon as relatively small differences can be worked out by a conference committee.After more than 14 hours of discussion that began Thursday morning and lasted until after midnight, the Senate decided to put off a final vote on the legislation until Wednesday. But under the agreement, no amendments that would fundamentally change the gift and travel restrictions will be permitted.
In an awkward debate, the senators agreed that the public viewed them as being beholden to lobbyists. But they were divided between those who argued that they should attack that perception by setting strict rules of dos and don'ts and those who maintained that changing the public view was hopeless.
In the crucial vote on Thursday, a substitute measure offered by Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Sen. J. Bennett Johnston, D-La., was rejected, 59 to 39. It would have deleted the most strenuous restrictions on gifts and travel. The
Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett, both R-Utah, voted Thursday with the minority.
"Some reform is needed," Hatch said. "But they are banning everything worth more than $20. That's going too far."
Hatch said it would make it more difficult to meet with groups over dinner or to give speeches to them.
Bennett said, "No matter what you do, honest people will still be honest and dishonest people will still find ways around rules."
A sponsor of the original legislation, Sen. William S. Cohen, R-Maine, said the bill restricting gifts and trips would not by itself change public perception. But he added, "We have a duty to remove as much of the cynicism as possible."