Ethics Rules Confuse Party-Goers And Throwers

by Christian Bourge and Erin McPike

Monday, Aug. 25, 2008


Ethics rules adopted when Democrats took control of Congress last year are adding a level of complexity to this year's conventions, with lawmakers and staffers trying to determine which convention-week parties they can attend and some groups skipping the events altogether.

Indeed, Washington lobbying firms Cassidy & Associates and Van Scoyoc decided to skip the nominating conventions.

One problem, for both sponsors and lawmakers, are that House and Senate rules differ, leading to head scratching all around about what is allowed. House rules forbid lobbyists from hosting events honoring individual lawmakers at the conventions. But the House Ethics Committee guidelines do allow events honoring a group of members, and many events this week in Denver and next week in St. Paul, Minn., will do just that.

The Senate rules are more restrictive in general, requiring that parties must honor a broad group, such as an entire delegation. However, senators are still allowed to attend a lobbyist-sponsored event as a featured speaker. Such appearances are no longer allowed under House rules.

Noting the lack of focus on ethics at the conventions, Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., brought up the issue at a closed-door meeting of House Democrats last month, warning them to make sure the parties they attend comply with the rules.

"I think in the end it will be OK because people are going to be careful about what they have to attend," DeGette said.

Government watchdog groups have called on lawmakers to skip all lobbyist-sponsored events at the conventions, arguing that they violate the spirit of congressional ethics rules. Nevertheless, a number of lobbying and corporate concerns are holding events and hoping for big crowds. In Denver, the list includes Amgen, Coca-Cola, TeleTech, the Solar Energy Industries Association, the American Wind Energy Association, Target, Qwest and Excel.

Some groups seem to have found a way around the rules, which were eased last month to require that the cost of convention parties be reported only by the main sponsor of an event. So, for example, the Democratic Governors Association is throwing a number of parties this week in Denver, with some of the costs underwritten by the Nuclear Energy Institute and the Edison Electric Institute. And a party that Mississippi's GOP Gov. Haley Barbour is throwing for other Republican governors is being funded in part by the American Gas Association and the National Mining Association.

"What is not really clear is what is legal," said an aide to one liberal Democratic lawmaker. "Nobody really had any clear indication. Maybe that's one of the things that people figure out when they get there, but I'm not sure how."

House Republican Conference Chairman Adam Putnam of Florida said his staff is reviewing every invi tation for compliance. "You are certainly thinking about it, dotting your I's and crossing your T's to make sure," he said.

DeGette noted a number of parties planned for Denver are problematic, including some of the concerts that might violate the gift ban. House and Senate rules prohibit taking gifts from lobbyists and limit the value of gifts from others to less than $50.

Freshman Rep. Zack Space, D-Ohio, acknowledged concerns about events, but downplayed his interest in attending them in Denver. "I am not going out there to party," he said.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., joked that as a freshman, he isn't getting a lot of invitations, but he is hoping that what is allowed and what isn't will become clearer by the time the GOP convention starts next week. "I'm waiting for opening night, then I'll see," McCarthy said. "I'll go to every one we're allowed to."

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