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The Dawn Of Democratic Rule
Lawmakers returned to Washington this week to start the 110th Congress -- the gift that keeps on giving for Democrats who took control of both the House and Senate, and the lump of coal in the stocking for Republicans who lost power.
House Democrats started the session by taking steps to clean their own house. They cast votes on ethics reform hours after the swearing-in ceremony.
The ethics package would ban gifts from lobbyists and require that tickets to sporting events for lawmakers and staff by non-lobbyists be valued at market price. Virtually all travel funded by lobbyists would be banned. The Ethics Committee would develop guidelines for lobbyist involvement in one-day/one-night travel, and would review all trips in advance.
Art Brodsky of Public Knowledge said his group would like to see the travel restrictions allow room for general education of lawmakers on issues. He noted, for instance, that it may be useful for lawmakers to attend the Consumer Electronics Show that begins Sunday in Las Vegas, particularly if they follow tech issues.
Other topics this week include the e-voting controversy in Florida, network neutrality after the AT&T, BellSouth merger, and the agenda of the Congressional Internet Caucus. Listen to the podcast for those stories and more.
Posted by Technology Daily on January 5, 2007 11:11 AM | Permalink
