With Congress under the gun to strengthen the rules governing lobbying in the wake of the Jack Abramoff scandal, a coalition including TexPIRG has laid out a roadmap on how to do it. The competing proposals moving through Congress each take some important steps, but none include the comprehensive reforms required to change the way in which business is done in Congress.

The close knit relationship between wealthy private interests and public officials has come under a great deal of scrutiny. Business men become public officials, and vice versa, in a revolving door system.

This kind of insider influence can obscure the democratic process. The coalition called on Congress to enforce ethics rules through an independent office or ethics commission, slow the revolving door, prohibit private interests from financing trips, ban gifts to Congress members, and strengthen financial disclosure reports.

“With Congressional elections around the corner, senators and representatives are eager to take some action, but it ought to be strong reform that fixes the problem, not the symptoms,” said Gary Kalman, TexPIRG’s federal democracy advocate.