Hill Gift Limits Often Exceeded, Lobbyists' Records Show

Hill Gift Limits Often Exceeded, Lobbyists' Records Show: "BellSouth Document Illustrates Gap Between the Rules and the Realities | By Jeffrey H. Birnbaum and Thomas B. Edsall | Washington Post Staff Writers | Sunday, January 1, 2006; Page A04

More than 80 lawmakers and Capitol Hill aides are listed as having accepted entertainment from lobbyists for BellSouth Corp. at levels that appear to exceed congressional gift limits, according to a document produced by the company's Washington office.
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The BellSouth document -- a 21-page spreadsheet -- is color-coded to highlight which lawmakers and staff members may have tripped the gift limits because of spending by the company's lobbyists. More than a dozen lawmakers and six dozen congressional aides are flagged. Under House and Senate rules, lawmakers and their staff members cannot accept anything valued at more than $49.99 at a single time -- or, from the same source, more than an accumulated $99.99 over the course of a calendar year. ...