Randy “Duke” Cunningham and Jack Abramoff were headed for jail, Tom DeLay had resigned his post as House majority leader, and a cloud of suspicion surrounded William Jefferson, Bob Ney and other elected officials—but it apparently wasn’t enough to prod Congress into action on serious lobbying reform last spring.

Instead, Congress passed a cynical bill that failed to address the problem. For example, the bill banned lobbyist-funded travel junkets — but only until after this November’s elections. Then, it’s back to business as usual. Fortunately, Rep. Chris Shays (Conn.) and Rep. Marty Meehan (Mass.) haven’t given up the fight for real reform.

Georgia PIRG is supporting their bill, which would keep ex-lawmakers from lobbying for two years, ban gifts from lobbyists, and outlaw lobbyist-financed trips. It would also create an independent commission to enforce violations.

“The defeat of Ralph Reed this summer has served as a wake-up call to many members of Congress,” said Georgia PIRG Democracy Advocate Gary Kalman. “Voters aren’t fooled. We’re demanding real reform.”