Democratic Proposal Banning Lobbyist Gifts Defeated

The Senate voted down a Democratic proposal to ban lobbyist gifts:

Debating how best to clean up lawmaker ties to lobbyists, the Senate on Wednesday defeated a Democratic proposal to prohibit all gifts, including meals, and to ban acceptance of almost all privately funded travel.

The vote was 55-44 against the amendment offered by Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada, who argued that the lobbying and ethics bill now on the Senate floor doesn’t go far enough to restore public confidence in the integrity of Congress.