Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania), who tried to ally himself with the lobbying reform efforts of Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona), has resumed regular meetings with lobbyists, The Washington Post reports.

Santorum suspended the meetings in January amid controversy over the Jack Abramoff scandal. But he has since met twice with the same group of lobbyists, on the same day and same time as before, and has asked them for campaign contributions.

Santorum was put in charge of the Senate GOP's lobbying reform effort but McCain, the chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee, and Sen. Trent Lott (R-Mississippi), the chairman of the Rules Committee, have moved forward with their proposals. Yesterday, the Senate voted to include a ban on gifts and meals in the reform package.

Get the Story:
Senator Resumes Lobbyist Huddles (The Washington Post 3/9)
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Senators Vote to Forgo Lobbyist-Bought Meals (The Washington Post 3/9)
Senate Votes to Ban Gifts and Meals of Lobbyists (The New York Times 3/9)
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Lobbying Reform Bill:
Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2006 (S.2349) | Section-by-Section Summary

Other Lobbying Reform Bills:
Sen. McCain: Lobbying Transparency and Accountability Act of 2005 (S.2128) | Sen. McCain: Reducing Conflicts of Interests in the Representation of Indian Tribes Act of 2005 (S.1312)

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