With an ethics storm brewing on Capitol Hill, politicians on both sides of the aisle are serving up proposals to stem abuses in the system of lobbying for Congressional access and attention.

While the final content of a finished reform bill remains very much in doubt, it does seem clear that some restrictions will be made on gifts to lawmakers, privately funded Congressional travel, and the ability of former legislators to walk through the revolving door into a plush office on K Street. Given Washington’s position at the center of the lobbying world, there seems to be the potential for some economic harm to our fair District.

According to last week’s edition of Newsweek, spending by the Washington lobbying industry topped $2 billion in 2004, and there are currently some 37,000 registered lobbyists in the District. A great deal of this money is certainly spent in D.C.; among the stories that have emerged from the Ambramoff scandal are tales of extravagant free dining at the ur-lobbyist’s restaurant Signatures and elbow rubbing conducted in the plush confines of Abramoff’s eye-poppingly expensive MCI Center suite. Certainly, however, much of the that $2 billion never found its way to D.C. pockets. Representative Tom DeLay (R-Tx.) has found himself in hot water partially due to a posh golf junket in Scotland, and stories abound of Congressional getaways to the Caribbean or Vail ski resorts.