In the wake of last year’s congressional scandals, the House of Representatives returned to Washington and passed strong new ethics rules in the first days of the 110th Congress. The U.S. PIRG-backed changes included tighter rules on gifts and travel paid for by lobbyists, earmark reforms, and a ban on the use of corporate jets by members of Congress. The Senate followed with an even broader package of provisions to check the influence and activities of Washington lobbyists.

In February, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi took the important step of appointing a special task force on ethics enforcement. Says U.S. PIRG Democracy Advocate Gary Kalman, “The new rules are only as effective as the ability to enforce them.” U.S. PIRG has called for Congress to replace the current system of self-policing with independent oversight.

Timed with the creation of the task force, U.S. PIRG released Honest Enforcement, a first-ever review of ethics enforcement in the states. The report found that, unlike Congress, 23 states have established ethics oversight commissions that operate largely free of partisan interference. A copy of the report was included in the orientation packets of task force members and our findings were included in testimony offered during congressional hearings on lobby reform.