DeLay downplays effort to tighten lobbying restrictions

WASHINGTON -- House majority leader Tom DeLay scoffed at a Democratic proposal to tighten lobbying restrictions and reporting requirements yesterday, calling it a politically motivated measure that Republican leaders in Congress won't pursue.

Yesterday, Representatives Martin T. Meehan of Lowell and Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, both Democrats, unveiled a bill that would overhaul lobbying regulations by forcing more public disclosure of who finances Congress members' trips and by beefing up enforcement. They said reform is necessary because of flaws in the system revealed by recent allegations against DeLay, who has been accused of taking luxury trips funded by lobbyists and representatives of foreign governments.

But DeLay laughed out loud when he was asked about the Democrats' suggestion that the bill could gain bipartisan support .

''I'm not interested in the water that they're carrying for some of these leftist groups," DeLay, a Texas Republican, said at his weekly news conference with reporters.

Meehan, however, remained upbeat about the bill's prospects, and said he is discussing it with several Republican members who have shown interest.

''I recognize the fact that we can't pass any reform legislation without bipartisanship," Meehan said. ''This issue is bigger than the scandals surrounding Tom DeLay. The issue is that the rules themselves are a scandal."

DeLay and House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, an Illinois Republican, both said yesterday that the ethics committee might need to give members more guidance regarding the types of trips acceptable under ethics rules. They raised the possibility of having members submit travel plans to the committee ahead of time so they can be assured that the trips are permissible.

''There needs to be real guidance about what is acceptable and what is not acceptable," said Hastert.

Also yesterday, a liberal advocacy group that has been urging corporations not to donate to DeLay's defense fund revealed that three major companies have said they will no longer contribute to it. John Podesta, president of the American Progress Action Fund, said American Airlines, Verizon, and Nissan had given to the defense fund in the past but have agreed to stop.

DeLay predicted that the American Progress Action Fund's efforts won't change his ability to raise money to defend himself.

''You really think a leftist group like that will have an impact on people that support me and support what I'm trying to accomplish here?" DeLay said. ''I don't think so."