Ex-Congressmen Booted From Capitol Gym

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January 25, 2007 11:39 AM

The 155 lobbyists who once served in Congress are being kicked out of the congressional gym and losing their special parking privileges, but they're still welcome at the members-only dining room and other restricted areas under the new lobbying and ethics reforms passed by Congress.

See the list of former congressmen who were registered lobbyists in 2006.

"Lobbyists, whether they are former members or not, should not have access to areas on Capitol Hill that the general public does not," says Rep. Vic Snyder, D-Ark. He says the reforms are a good start but plans to introduce a stricter bill. 

Congressional watchdog groups say that while gym access and parking spaces are nice perks, entree to the other areas provide former members with opportunities to use their privileges to gain special access on behalf of their paid clients. 

"The members' dining room, the back room to a committee meeting -- that's where the real work is done," says Meredith McGehee, policy director of the Campaign Legal Center, a lobbying and ethics watchdog group. "Being able to get seating in the members' dining room when others of us are told, 'Oh, it's just for members,' these are times when they're cashing in on their status as a former member."

The members' dining rooms are mostly reserved for members, former members and their guests but do open their door to the public a few hours a week.

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Vic Fazio, a former congressman and current lobbyist, says the perception that former members' special perks give them an advantage over other lobbyists is overstated. "You do not need to take advantage of any perk or anything else," says Fazio. "If you lobby, you can call a member and see them in their office, or call their staff and see their staff."

Reform advocates say it's those special relationships that former members develop while in public office that are the motivation behind the changes.

"All you're trying to do here is ensure that private interests and members themselves aren't enriched because of the service they did for the public," says McGehee.