Under strong urging by Democratic leaders, the House on Thursday approved mandatory disclosure by lobbyists who round up campaign donations from others and "bundle" them together for lawmakers.
The 382-37 vote was a partial step toward fulfilling the Democrats' pledge to run a more ethical and open Congress. It was seen as a prelude to passage of a second that would, among other things, require lawmakers to identify themselves when seeking special spending items in legislation.
Democratic leaders had to squelch a rebellion among colleagues who said the lobbying changes were going too far and might threaten their ability to raise campaign funds and land well-paid lobbying jobs when they leave Congress.
The most contentious issue involved requiring lobbyists to disclose bundling, in which they solicit and collect campaign donations from several sources and deliver them to a favored lawmaker in one package. The practice is popular with many lawmakers, who find it easier than raising money check-by-check. It also is favored by lobbyists who find it helps them ingratiate themselves to lawmakers without having to divulge the role they play.
The amendment's adoption cleared the way for bipartisan approval of the overall bundling bill.
The Senate in January approved a lobbying package that would require disclosures of bundling and force former lawmakers to wait two years, rather than one, before becoming lobbyists after leaving Congress.
Democratic leaders decided this week to make the bundling measure a separate bill rather than folding it into a larger package of proposed lobbying revisions. Had it been part of the larger bill, they said, enough Democratic opponents might have joined most Republicans in a procedural vote to stop the bill from reaching the House floor.
Under current law, individual campaign donors must report their contributions, but bundlers often remain anonymous. The new disclosure requirement would not apply to bundlers who are not lobbyists.
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