Senate Approves Rules Making Earmarks Public

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The Senate voted 98-0 in favor of tougher new rules requiring that earmarks – special spending projects – and their sponsors be disclosed in advance of all votes on federal agency budgets, such as a Pentagon contract, as well as nonfederal projects such as state parks and municipal museums. The Senate measure matches a similar earmark rule approved by the House. The Senate also approved a provision barring lawmakers from including earmarks in the classified parts of a bill, or in a conference report without unclassified language that describes the project, funding levels and names the sponsor. (1/17/07)