The New York Times reports that President-elect Barack Obama "is trying to fulfill campaign promises of sweeping ethics restrictions that could deter some potential appointees." According to Obama's website, political appointees will be prohibited from working on regulations or contracts directly and substantially related to their prior employer for two years. And no political appointee will be able to lobby the executive branch after leaving government service during the remainder of the administration. He has also promised to post online all appointees' employment histories and personal financial disclosures, along with meetings or conversations they hold with registered lobbyists. CQ Politics details that some expect that there will soon be new disclosure requirements for lobbyists trying to influence executive branch officials. Yet, until further improvements to ethics and lobbying rules are made, numerous issues remain. For example, according to RollCall ($$) a loophole in the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act allows members who are either retiring or who lost en election to avoid filing notice if they are in job negotiations because their "successor has been elected." "The loophole theoretically will permit retiring — and defeated — Members of Congress to negotiate corporate and K Street jobs without public scrutiny while at the same time playing an integral role in the upcoming lame-duck session." For more information on the transition, visit, www.change.gov and from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), www.gao.gov/transition_2009. Change.gov has a blog and a suggestion form.