House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), seeking to distance his party from the lobbying scandal that has enveloped Congress, on Tuesday proposed putting an end to one of the most popular perks on Capitol Hill — travel paid for by private groups.
He also wants to double the amount of time that a former lawmaker or senior staffer must wait before lobbying Congress, and put strict limits on gifts that lawmakers may accept.
If the proposals became law, they would significantly change the way business is done on Capitol Hill. Senate Republicans on Tuesday announced their own emerging package of lobbying and ethics reforms that included a travel ban.
"I know that fact-finding trips are important," Hastert said. But such travel, which sometimes takes lawmakers to luxurious resorts and exotic locales, "has been abused by some, and I believe we need to put an end to it," he said.
Every year, trade organizations, think tanks and other groups spend millions of dollars funding trips — whether they be one-day workshops in congressional districts or weeklong travel abroad.
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