Changes

==110th Congress==

==110th Congress==

The [[Democrat party]] which gained control of the the [[U.S. House of Representatives]] in the 2006 Congressional midterm elections had promised major reforms within the first 100 hours. One reform in particular was lobbying and ethics reform--a key plank in the fall 2006 campaign.  Democrats vowed greater openess in the Congressional Appropriations process, and an end to so-called "[[earmark]]s", an appropriation designated to spend specific money on a specific project in a specific members district, sometimes designating a specific private business concern to whom the money is to be spent with. Several Republican members had been caught up in so-called earmark scandals, trading money for influence, and this was widely acredited as a key reason why the GOP lost control of the House after a dozen years.  

The [[Democratic party]] which gained control of the the [[U.S. House of Representatives]] in the 2006 Congressional midterm elections had promised major reforms within the first 100 hours. One reform in particular was lobbying and ethics reform--a key plank in the fall 2006 campaign.  Democrats vowed greater openess in the Congressional Appropriations process, and an end to so-called "[[earmark]]s", an appropriation designated to spend specific money on a specific project in a specific members district, sometimes designating a specific private business concern to whom the money is to be spent with. Several Republican members had been caught up in so-called earmark scandals, trading money for influence, and this was widely acredited as a key reason why the GOP lost control of the House after a dozen years.  

In the first five months of 2007 after the Democratic party took control of Congress, the majority party,

In the first five months of 2007 after the Democratic party took control of Congress, the majority party,