Will the House Clerk's office implode on Feb. 14? According to an article in Roll Call, the new electronic filing rule is making for some delay. Organizations and firms getting ready to file their Feb. 14 Lobby Disclosure Act forms might want to factor in some time for delays. According to the article, lobbyists that have attempted to file early say the process is nothing short of painful.

The House this week will kick off the second session of the 109th Congress by kicking lobbyists out of an inner sanctum: the members’ gym. Rep. David Dreier (R-CA)the chairman of the House Rules Committee, said he will introduce a resolution on Tuesday that would bar former members who were registered lobbyists from the House floor and House gymnasium. The full House would vote on the measure a day later. Past members already are banned from the chamber if a bill they are lobbying is pending before the full House or any committee. Former members who are registered lobbyists would be allowed to enter the chamber only on ceremonial occasions, such as Former Member Day.

Although this is mostly an article about earmarks and "pork", it is an interesting article into the world of the watchdogs.

From the Washington Post: These are dark days for earmarks.

From the Washington Post: The Internal evenue Service plans to revoke the tax-exempt status of 30 nonprofit credit-counseling organizations, saying the groups are not providing adequate financial education to their clients and funnel too much money to their chief executives and to related for-profit entities. So far, five credit organizations have lost their tax-exempt status, while the reminder have been notified that their status is about to change.