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READ THE LATEST POSTS READ THE LATEST POSTS Read all posts WASHINGTON  As lawmakers make plans to leave Congress, so do their aides. Despite pledges by congressional leaders to cut ties between Capitol Hill and special interests, some former congressional staffers are moving swiftly into lobbying posts, federal records show. Rules instituted in 2007 in the wake of lobbying scandals bar former senior House staffers from lobbying their former bosses and co-workers for a year. High-ranking ex-Senate aides cannot lobby anyone in the Senate for a year. But nothing stops former congressional aides from immediately advising clients on the topics with which they are intimately familiar, such as the financial regulation bill now moving through the Senate. They also are free to lobby officials in the executive branch or in the legislative chamber in which they were not previously employed. "Public service now — especially for congressional staffers — clearly has become viewed largely as a road to riches," said Craig Holman, of Public Citizen, a government watchdog group. A total of 149 former members of Congress were registered to lobby in 2009, according to data compiled by the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics. Similar figures are not available for former staffers. However, a 2006 examination by National Journal found that 107 of 635 top-salaried aides who worked in Congress from October 2003 through March 2004 — or nearly 17% — had taken lobbying or government-relations jobs. Among the former aides to departing members of Congress working in government affairs: • Vickie Walling, who served as chief of staff to retiring Rep. John Tanner, has begun work as managing director for Prime Policy Group. The lobbying firm's website boasts that 54 Senate and House members "have staff alumni at our firm." Walling's lobbying clients include the American Psychological Association and drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline, both of which sought to shape health-care legislation that passed Congress recently, lobbying reports show. Tanner, a Tennessee Democrat who in December said he would retire at the end of this term, is a long-time member of the Ways and Means Committee that helped craft the legislation. Walling said there's nothing "nefarious" about her work. "I think if you approached your job on Capitol Hill in an ethical manner that you are going to continue to approach your job on the outside in an ethical manner." • Julie Jolly, a legislative assistant to retiring Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., and a leading Senate appropriator, recently joined Lewis-Burke Associates, a Washington lobbying firm. The firm's clients include universities and research institutions. She did not respond to interview requests. • Jay McCarthy was a senior adviser to Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., who died in office in 2009. McCarthy also worked for Kennedy's appointed successor, Paul Kirk, who left office in February. Now, McCarthy is a lobbyist with the Liberty Square Group, and his clients include a coalition of Massachusetts-based biotech companies; a policy institute named for Kennedy; and an environmental group that opposes plans to build an offshore wind farm in Nantucket Sound, records show. McCarthy did not return phone calls. Earlier this year, Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, criticized a former committee aide, Peter Roberson, for joining an industry lobbying group after working on a sweeping financial regulation bill. Roberson went to IntercontinentalExchange, a clearinghouse for derivatives, which would be subject to regulation under legislation now in Congress. "It never occurred to me that he would jump so quickly from the committee staff to an industry that was being affected by the committee's legislation," Frank said in a statement. He banned aides from communicating with Roberson for the remainder of his committee chairmanship. Intercontinental spokesman Lee Underwood declined comment and said the firm would not make Roberson available for interviews. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., recently introduced legislation that would impose a lifetime ban on lobbying by former members of Congress and would increase the cooling-off period for congressional staffers to six years before they can lobby. "There is a perception … that people are trading on relationships," Bennet said in an interview. Dave Wenhold, president of the American League of Lobbyists, said it's unlikely many lawmakers would support a bill that limits their future employment. "The bottom line is that you hire people with expertise," Wenhold said of lobbying firms. "The people who come off the Hill know the political process." We've updated the Conversation Guidelines. Changes include a brief review of the moderation process and an explanation on how to use the "Report Abuse" button. Read more