By Kathleen Hunter, Congressional Quarterly Today, July 23, 2007

23 Jul 2007 // House Democrats return this week to their campaign-proven theme of trying to "clean up" Congress.

Leapfrogging over the committee process, they will bring to the floor a bill (HR 2630) that would prohibit candidates from paying their spouses to work on their campaigns.

With the fate of broader ethics and lobbying overhaul bills (HR 2316, S1) uncertain, bringing up the spousal pay measure will give Democrats an opportunity to score a separate victory on ethics changes -- or at least draw attention before the August recess again to the sins of past majorities.

"House Democrats pledged last fall to clean up the culture of corruption," Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, a Democrat from Maryland, said when the bill was introduced. "Part of that is ensuring that no member personally benefits from their official or campaign activities."

Although Democratic leaders tout the bill as way to demonstrate their determination to "drain the swamp" of Capitol Hill corruption -- as they so often said during the 2006 campaigns -- Republicans can be expected to focus on the process that brought the bill to the floor.

Ignoring regular order, Democrats did not hold any hearings or mark up the bill; the first chance any lawmaker will have to comment will be when the measure is up for consideration on the floor. Since it is to be considered under suspension of the rules, there can be no amendments, and debate will be limited.

Reimbursement Disclosure

In addition to banning outright payments, the measure, sponsored by Adam B. Schiff, D-Calif., would require that candidates file a separate disclosure to the Federal Elections Commission detailing all campaign payments made to immediate family members.

The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington said it studied campaign reports covering three election cycles and found dozens of examples of lawmakers' campaigns paying family members. Members of both political parties have paid their wives for campaign work.

"This legislation would clean up campaigns and remove the perception that campaign funds are for a candidate's family's personal use," Schiff said in a July 20 letter urging colleagues to support the bill.