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New House travel curbs are squishy, not tough

By A TIMES EDITORIAL
Published March 1, 2007

Those "get tough" travel rules passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in a flurry of ethical grandstanding last month take effect this week. So a dozen lawmakers' recent $469-a-night stay at the Mandarin Oriental hotel on Miami's posh Brickell Key with an interest group picking up the tab will be out.

Right?

Not necessarily.

In that case, as reported by USA Today, the trip would still be allowed because it was sponsored by a group - the Alliance for Health Reform - that doesn't employ lobbyists. The alliance, which is a respected advocate for health care reform, and other such organizations say an exception to travel restrictions is necessary for them to educate lawmakers.

Maybe so, but one man's think tank is another man's special interest. It's not clear why, if the purpose is purely educational rather than recreational, that such sessions (particularly in the winter) need to be held in Miami or San Juan, Puerto Rico, where a recent trip sponsored by the Aspen Institute and attended by more than a dozen representatives was held. There must be plenty of nice meeting rooms available in Washington.

Those aren't the only sponsored trips still legal under the new ethics rules. Members will be able to be the guests of lobbyists seeking favorable legislation as long as both sides adhere to a couple of large loopholes in the law.

Lobbyist-sponsored trips are allowed as long as they last no more than two nights. And lawmakers can still fraternize with lobbyists in nice places as long as a third party pays for the trips. So a lawmaker's political fundraising committee can pick up the tab, then the committee can get reimbursed by the lobbyist.

"The question this raises is whether very much has changed," Ellen Miller, executive director of the Sunlight Foundation, a government watchdog group, told USA Today. "There are still ways for people who carry water for special interests to pay for travel."

Maybe you can never take the corrupting influence of money out of politics. But at least you shouldn't pretend you have when, in reality, you haven't.

[Last modified February 28, 2007, 23:22:56]