Cleaning Up After the GOP Posted by Michael Link on January 5, 2007 at 12:17 PM

House Democrats wasted no time cleaning up Washington after numerous Republican scandals with "the broadest ethics and lobbying revision since the Watergate era." Last night, after the new Congress was sworn in and Speaker Pelosi took the gavel, the House overwhelmingly passed strong lobbying reform meant to break unethical ties between lawmakers and lobbyists, as the Washington Post reports:
The changes would prohibit House members or employees from knowingly accepting gifts or travel from a registered lobbyist, foreign agent or lobbyist's client. Lawmakers could no longer fly on corporate jets. In addition, congressional travel financed by outside groups would have to be approved in advance by the House ethics committee and immediately disclosed to the public.
The measures were approved 430 to 1, with only Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.) voting against it. This was a remarkable change considering that House Republicans could barely pass a far weaker measure last May and ultimately did not enact any measure because they could not reach agreement with the Senate. But voters in November identified corruption as one of their primary concerns, and the House responded yesterday.
Those voters identified corruption as such a problem due to a Republican Congress famous for its "culture of corruption," from Tom DeLay to Duke Cunningham. The GOP failed to clean up their own mess and paid a heavy price for it in November. The sense of urgency Democrats are displaying on this issue shows a commitment to honest and open government.
And in the Senate, listed as number one for Senate Democrats' First Ten Bills of the 110th Congress is "Ethics reform, to clean up Congress so the government can get back to serving the American people."