Amanda Carpenter over at TownHall has a great article on the senate's little 3 word change that guts earmark reform. And here is the rest of it. A three-word rule change quietly made to Congress’s newly-enacted lobby reform package was recently discovered that significantly reduces disclosure requirements for the earmarks each senator requests.
The new ethics bill, which was signed into law in September, purported to require members of both the House and Senate to make public a signed letter that included the name and address of the intended recipient, or location of any requested earmark.
U.S. President George W. Bush shows a pile of earmark papers that he said were wasteful special interest spending proposals that lawmakers often slip into legislation, during remarks about the economy at Micron Technology in Manassas, Virginia February 6, 2007. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES)
Related Media:
VIDEO: Murtha's Missing Earmarked Center
The final bill, however, contained an exception for members of the Senate. Instead, senators who request earmarks are only required to make public a letter that verifies he or she has “no pecuniary interest” their request
The new ethics bill, which was signed into law in September, purported to require members of both the House and Senate to make public a signed letter that included the name and address of the intended recipient, or location of any requested earmark.
U.S. President George W. Bush shows a pile of earmark papers that he said were wasteful special interest spending proposals that lawmakers often slip into legislation, during remarks about the economy at Micron Technology in Manassas, Virginia February 6, 2007. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES)
Related Media:
VIDEO: Murtha's Missing Earmarked Center
The final bill, however, contained an exception for members of the Senate. Instead, senators who request earmarks are only required to make public a letter that verifies he or she has “no pecuniary interest” their request
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