I happened to catch U.S. Senator Jon Tester today talking about his co-sponsorship of a bill “to permanently bar former members of Congress from becoming registered lobbyists.”

The bill is S. 3272 and the title is “Close the Revolving Door Act of 2010.”

Sounds wonderful, huh? It’s probably dead on arrival. Two unknowns have signed onto the bill in the Senate: Tester and the original sponsor, Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado.

I took a quick glance at the bill. It appears it would bar former members of congress and their former staffers from even writing or calling a current member’s office to voice their opinion about a bill as a private citizen. Continue reading →