Senators Vote to Prohibit Dining on Lobbyists' Dime

The L.A. Times reports:

Senators would have to go Dutch when wining and dining with lobbyists under a provision approved Wednesday as part of a pending ethics reform bill.

Senators are currently permitted to let lobbyists pick up the tab for meals worth less than $50, and the bill as originally written would have required public disclosure by the lawmakers of such payments.

But a group of Republicans and Democrats pushed for the amendment to bar senators or their aides from accepting any meal from a lobbyist, arguing that the prohibition would send an important message. The provision was adopted by a voice vote.

This becomes a problem for Senators married to lobbyists.So there's really no absolute way around this problem.The only solution is to get rid of big government.That way no one would have an incentive to be a rent-seeker.You can't lobby a Senator about a Department of Energy bill if the department doesn't exist.