Information about the vote from special interest groups and other information providers in our Report Cards:
Public Citizen Congress Watch
Weak lobbying overhaul.
Passage of a weak lobbying reform bill that failed to address any major ethics problems that plague Congress and the lobbying industry. Its purpose was to allow members of Congress to claim that they voted for a reform package while doing nothing to change business as usual on Capitol Hill.AFL-CIO
Lobbying Reform.
H.R. 4975—House Republican leaders reacted to the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal with a weak package of reforms that does very little to curtail the ability of corporations and wealthy special interests to exert improper influence on the legislative process. Public records show that corporations outspend labor by nearly 50 to 1 in lobbying expenses. This group has urged the House to ban gifts from individuals who have an interest in legislation before Congress, limit lavish congressional trips paid for by lobbyists, and prohibit congressional travel on corporate-owned jets.
Although the bill temporarily modifies some rules on congressional travel and expands the information that members of Congress and registered lobbyists are required to report, it also contains new restrictions on the ability of workers, consumers and other ordinary Americans to lobby Congress and to participate in grassroots politics. H.R. 4975 passed.