After House's '100-hour' rush, a Senate slowdown

House Democrats wrapped up their six-point "100-hour" agenda in a mere 42.25 legislative hours (by the speaker's clock), but the legislation's endgame in the Senate will probably take several months – not to mention the distinct possibility that President Bush will veto as many as four of the bills.

A 31-seat edge and rules that favor the majority party allowed House Democrats to propel their "Six for '06" agenda through the House without allowing a single Republican amendment.

"These past two weeks we have delivered on the promise. We have demonstrated that the Congress of the United States is not a place where good ideas and the optimism of the American people go to die," said Speaker Nancy Pelosi, just before the final House vote last week.

But the Senate's rules virtually guarantee that things move more slowly, even though Democrats now control that chamber, too. For one, they amplify the rights of minorities, including those of a single disgruntled senator. And if 41 of the 49 Senate Republicans stand together against a bill, they can ensure that it never comes to a vote.

As a result, senators on both sides of the aisle predict that every part of the House's 100-hour agenda will see changes before it clears Congress. Even those modifications, though, may not be able to avert a presidential veto in a majority of the bills.

First out of the gate in both the House and Senate was ethics reform. On Day 1 of the 110th Congress, the House voted to prohibit members from accepting gifts and meals from lobbyists, including travel on corporate jets. Moreover, any travel funded by nonprofit organizations or other private groups had to be approved in advance by the House ethics panel. The new rules package was adopted 430 to 1.

It's just the beginning. In the spring, the House plans take up more extensive lobby reform. Speaker Pelosi said she wants this legislation to be fully vetted in the committee process, including hearings.

The Senate, too, passed a sweeping reform bill to amend ethics and lobbying rules, with the vote coming Thursday night after two weeks of intense debate and negotiation. The Senate bill, which goes beyond the changes the House has approved so far, would do the following:

• Ban gifts from lobbyists and companies that hire them.

• Require that lawmakers traveling via someone else's private jet pay full charter rates.

• Increase to two years the "cooling off period" before a former senator can work as a lobbyist.

• Establish a point of order against bills that do not disclose earmarks – targeted projects or tax breaks – and their sponsors.

In their final hours of deliberation last week, senators adopted amendments to prohibit their spouses from lobbying and to prevent members of a lawmaker's family from benefiting from earmarks.

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