A Lack of Urgency on Lobbying Reform

Last winter, the reaction to the Abramoff scandal seemed to galvanize Congress to act, and quickly. As the Washington Post reports, the sense of urgency has dissipated:

Six months later, the legislation has slowed to a crawl. Along the way, proposals such as [House Speaker Dennis] Hastert's that would sharply limit commonplace behavior on Capitol Hill have been cast aside. Committee chairmen once predicted the bill would be finished in March, but the Senate did not pass its ethics bill until March 29 and the House passed its version May 3. The House has yet to name negotiators to draft the final package.