Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, September 30, 1994 TAG: 9409300034
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
``This bill says no to the freebie-seeking members of the House of Representatives ... a small minority of this House that create a bad impression for the rest of us,'' Rep. John Bryant, D-Texas, the measure's primary sponsor, said during acrimonious debate.
The bill imposing strict new gift rules and tightening reporting requirements on lobbyists may be the only major survivor in what had been an ambitious reform agenda pushed by President Clinton and congressional Democrats.
The measure, a merger of the toughest provisions in separate House and Senate bills, was approved on a vote of 306-112. It was sent to the Senate, where backers say no major opposition has surfaced.
But the vote belied the difficulty of steering the bill to passage. The measure barely survived an earlier procedural vote, 216-205, after an attack led by Republicans.
In approving the reform bill, House members rejected last-minute arguments from conservative Christian groups that it would infringe their rights to lobby Congress on moral issues by requiring them to report grassroots lobbying activities. Congressional switchboards were swamped.
Rep. Vic Fazio, D-Calif., said the bill specifically exempts churches from the grassroots lobbying registration requirements. He and Bryant read letters from Jewish, Catholic and Protestant groups praising the bill's religious protections.
Bryant bluntly accused Republicans of ``hiding behind the skirts of legitimate public-interest organizations and churches'' when they really were in favor of preserving a pampered lifestyle that includes free golf, tennis and ski outings, meals and tickets to the theater and sports events.
Lobby reform appeared to be the largest surviving piece of the Democrats' reform campaign, an effort aimed at softening public anger toward Congress.
A USA Today-CNN-Gallup poll Thursday showed just 9 percent ranked House members high or very high on honesty and ethical standards, putting them ahead of only car salesmen in public esteem.
The showcase issue on the reform list - reform of the financing of political campaigns - is in serious jeopardy because of Republican opposition and worries among a few Senate Democrats about its limited public financing provisions.
A make-or-break vote on the campaign finance reform bill was scheduled for today in the Senate, with Democrats still short of the 60 votes they needed to get past a Republican filibuster. Opposition leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said: ``I'm very confident we're going to win.''
by CNB