Wednesday, August 01, 2007

House Passes Landmark Ethics & Lobbying Bill

Yesterday, the House voted overwhelmingly (411-8) to pass the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 -- a new set of lobbying and ethics reforms of broad and, in some instances, unprecedented scope. Never before has Congress sought to require earmarks disclosure by law, for example.

OMB Watch has commented frequently on this bill, most recently here, here, and here. And today, OMB Watch issued a press release urging final passage and further reforms down the road.

It is virtually certain that the Senate will act on the bill prior to the August recess, which begins this weekend, with a vote tomorrow (Thursday) most likely. Given the House vote margin, the momentum behind the bill is so strong that, despite a 67-vote supermajority requirement, and many months of a couple of Senators' objections to some provisions in it, ultimate passage is all but assured. President Bush has indicated no opposition to the reform package.

GOP dissent in the House was muted, with the GOP divided by two schools of thought:

• Rules Committee ranking member David Dreier (R-CA): "I couldn't help but think that it is virtually identical to the measure we passed in the last Congress."
• House Judiciary ranking member Lamar Smith (R-TX) who voted for it, called the measure a "hollow shell of reform."