The House voted 379 to 50 on Wednesday to ban former lawmakers turned lobbyists from the House floor and from the House gym but Republicans, in a private meeting, reacted negatively to a series of broad reforms aimed at changing the way business is done in Washington.

In what was described by The Washington Post as a "tense, 3 1/2 -hour closed-door session," Republicans challenged proposals laid out by House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Illinois). They questioned the need for a ban on privately-funded travel, limits on gifts to lawmakers and their staffs and other elements of the package.

At Hastert's behest, Rep. David Dreier (R-California) was to unveil a draft of the legislation yesterday but it has been delayed. The package is supposed to close the so-called "loophole" that allows tribes to contribute an unlimited total amount of money to federal candidates and political action committees.

Get the Story:
Lobbying Changes Divide House GOP (The Washington Post 2/2)
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Washington Sketch: An End to Treadmill Lobbying (The Washington Post 2/2)
House Republicans Reject a Broad Shake-Up (The New York Times 2/2)
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U.S. House Votes First Limits on Lobbyists Since Abramoff Plea (Bloomberg News 2/1)

Lobbying Reform Bills:
S.2128 | S.1312

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