Sens. Feingold, Obama to push Office of Public Integrity plan in ethics reform bill

The Hill

Democratic Sens. Russ Feingold (Wis.) and Barack Obama (Ill.) have unveiled details of a reform bill they will introduce during floor debate next week on leadership-backed lobbying and ethics legislation, laying down a marker for possible amendments aimed at beefing up the measure.

Many of the Feingold-Obama bill's provisions would bring the Senate's ethics bill in line with the House package that passed overwhelmingly Wednesday and are expected to be part of any leadership amendment to the Senate bill. But the Democratic duo, considered Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) ethics point men, also aim to push the Office of Public Integrity plan offered last year by Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.).

The public integrity office would be an independent panel empowered to probe alleged violations by members, aides and lobbyists, and make recommendations for enforcement. Government watchdog groups traditionally allied with the Democratic agenda have lined up behind the proposal, which gained renewed support from Collins, Lieberman, Feingold and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) last month.