Pelosi's rules So this week I heard about this (Kerry) and I heard about that (Haggard) but somehow I didn't hear a single word about Nancy Pelosi's proposed new rules for the House, should she become Speaker. I learned about it from Chester Scoville's Vanity Press who got it from the weblog of CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company) News: Here are some of the new rules Pelosi wants:



No House member may accept any gift of any value from lobbyists, or any firm or association that hires lobbyists.



No free travel, which means an end to the corporate jet line every Friday at Reagan National Airport.



No free tickets to Redskins games; or no meals of any value, even at a McDonalds; no front-row seats at entertainment venues. No, no and no.



To reduce temptations to cheat, Pelosi's bill attacks the usefulness of members to richly endowed lobbyists.



House members will no longer be able to slip in special-interest projects on unrelated legislation. Such measures will no longer be allowed on a bill once negotiations between the Senate and House are complete.



Further, all bills will be made available to the public a full 24 hours before a final vote; presumably this gives watchdog groups a chance to flag any skullduggery.



Under the Pelosi rules, lobbyists will no longer be able to use the House gym (you'd be surprised how much gets negotiated in a sauna). Lobbyists will no longer be allowed onto the House floor or to use the cloakrooms just off the floor, preventing last-minute arm-twisting.



What's more, no member or staffer will be able to negotiate for employment in the public sector without disclosing such contacts to the House Ethics Committee, and within three days of such contact being made.



Finally, all of this will be audited and investigated by a new Office of Public Integrity, and that office reports, directly and only, to the U.S. Attorneys Office. That all sound quite right and proper -- a good start. Let's see if Speaker Pelosi can get it passed and get enforcement of it with some teeth. Ed Fitzgerald | 11/04/2006 04:18:00 AM | | | del.icio.us | GO: TOP OF HOME PAGE









