Tight rules sought on House travel

WASHINGTON — House Republicans launched an election-year drive Wednesday to rein in political groups that operate with looser restraints than candidates and their parties, an attempt to blunt the activities of liberals such as billionaire George Soros. They also acted to ban privately funded travel for House members.

Wealthy supporters, who make donations of $1 million or more to such groups, could contribute no more than $30,000 under the legislation, according to Republican officials. The organizations would be subject to more frequent disclosure requirements.

Republican officials said the restrictions would apply to organizations that work on both sides of the political divide, including Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. That group outraged Democrats during the 2004 presidential campaign when it aired television ads that questioned the Vietnam War record of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry even though he had been decorated for bravery under fire.

More recently, Republicans strategists have expressed concern about the efforts by Soros and others to boost Democratic prospects in the congressional midterm elections.

GOP leaders announced plans to fold their proposal into ethics-related bills to be brought to the full House in the wake of a corruption scandal spawned by lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Other measures would ban privately funded travel for House members, at least through the end of the year, and require lobbyists to disclose the gifts they make to lawmakers.

Utah's House Republican members, Rep. Rob Bishop and Rep. Chris Cannon Cannon, both issued statements about the proposals Wednesday. Both clarified that they fully disclose any trips they take with private donations and that most of their trips are paid for by either their own money, campaign donations (if campaign related) or from their office budget.

Cannon said that he supported the legislation, at least in concept.

"While I have not had a chance to read the draft legislation, Congress has the responsibility to provide transparency and accountability to the processes governing lobbying disclosure and congressional spending and to establish and maintain the public's trust in Congress," Cannon said.

Bishop's spokesman Scott Parker said that most of the congressman's travel is military or related to his position on the Congressional Study Group on Germany. Ideally, the new rules would still allow those trips but eliminate the abuses.

"Hopefully we will end up with rules that can differentiate, for example, between a foreign policy trip to meet with members of the German government and a trip to Scotland to play golf," Parker said. "And if you've seen Rob's golf game, you know he doesn't take those types of trips."

In a 2005 story, the Deseret Morning News chronicled the trips taken by Utah's congressmen with private money. It was reported then that since 2000, Bishop took seven privately funded trips totaling more than $14,000, while Cannon took five trips, costing $7,601.

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Contributing: Josh Loftin, Deseret Morning News