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Sunday, August 12, 2007
Legislative Benefits - "In Indiana, the gravy train is rolling on"
Here is an item from the Sunday Indianapolis Star's "Behind Closed Doors" column. The headline reads "The sky's the limit":
There soon may be no such thing as a free lunch in Congress. But in Indiana, the gravy train is rolling on.Under new ethics rules passed by Congress -- but not yet signed into law by President Bush -- senators and U.S. representatives will no longer be able to accept gifts, meals and travel paid for by lobbyists. And legislators-turned-lobbyists would no longer have the floor, gym and parking privileges that let them mingle more easily on Capitol Hill with their former colleagues than other lobbyists could.
But in Indiana, to paraphrase a saying, "we don't need no stinking rules."
Gifts? Legislators can take anything, even a million dollars and a mansion, so long as they report it. And if the value is less than $100, it doesn't need to be reported at all.
Meals? They can eat as much as they want, as often as they want -- and it needs to be reported only if it clears the threshold of $100 to a lawmaker in one day or $500 to a lawmaker during a calendar year.
And if the lobbyist invites every member of the Indiana General Assembly to a function, that's not considered lobbying, no matter how lavish the affair.
All in all, members of Congress -- formerly the big shots in the political food chain -- might decide they'd be better off running for the state legislature, at least in Indiana.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on August 12, 2007 08:25 AM
Posted to Legislative Benefits