March 29 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Senate approved its first revision of ethics rules in more than a decade, banning all gifts and meals from lobbyists, forcing greater disclosure, and doubling to two years the time that departing lawmakers must wait before lobbying former colleagues.

The legislation, approved on a 90-8 vote, was in response to the corruption scandal involving Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who was sentenced today in Florida on an unrelated wire-fraud case. Its approval was smoothed by the decision to eliminate some of the most contentious proposals: The Senate rejected amendments to create an independent agency to enforce the rules and curb lawmakers' use of corporate jets. Limits on lobbyist fund-raising and privately funded travel never came up.

``Given that Mr. Abramoff got five years in the pokey today, the notion that this is the best we can do doesn't make sense,'' said Senator Barack Obama, an Illinois Democrat, who voted against the legislation. ``It doesn't address enforcement, it doesn't address travel abuses other than through disclosure.''

He added, ``I'm concerned that based on what seems to be happening over in the House, it could come back even weaker.''

John Boehner, the majority leader in the House of Representatives, said earlier this month he expected the measure to be taken up during the first week in April. The House Rules Committee scheduled a hearing on the legislation for tomorrow.

Corruption Scandal

The Senate legislation was the first effort to increase reporting and curb gifts since 1995, when the new Republican congressional majorities enacted ethics and lobbying rules.

Momentum for tightening the rules accelerated as the Abramoff corruption scandal widened, culminating in the lobbyist's guilty pleas in January in both the Washington corruption scandal and an unrelated case in Florida.

Abramoff was sentenced in Miami to five years and 10 months in prison and ordered to pay millions of dollars in restitution for wire fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with his purchase of a casino-boat company in Florida in 2000. He's cooperating with Justice Department investigators in the Washington case and will have 90 days to surrender for prison.

In recent weeks, the rush to tighten rules on lobbyists slowed, critics said.

``We missed an opportunity here to get a real strong bill,'' said Senator Russell Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat who voted against the final measure. ``This was an exceptional opportunity given the Abramoff scandal to get a lot of things done, and they didn't get done.''

More Disclosure

Under the legislation passed today, lobbyists would have to file quarterly reports electronically rather than paper reports twice a year. They would have to disclose the amount of money spent on grassroots lobbying efforts and their campaign donations.

Senators would have to post their free travel on their Web sites. In addition, the measure would make it harder for senators to add pet projects -- called ``earmarks'' -- to legislation by requiring 60 votes to keep the measure if another lawmaker objects. Senators would also have to publicly disclose the earmarks and explain why they are needed.

``It is a strong bill that I hope will enhance public confidence in the integrity of government decisions,'' said Senator Susan Collins, chairwoman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, in a speech on the Senate floor.

`This Matters'

``We cannot tackle the big issues facing our country if the country doesn't trust us to act in the public interest,'' said Collins, a Maine Republican. ``That is why this matters.''

Some Republican senators, such as Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, said the measure didn't go far enough to curb earmarks. That's because few members will want to stall important pieces of legislation to object to the projects, which they say should be banned outright. ``We missed the boat,'' said Graham, who voted no.

Among other amendments: The legislation would require lobbyists to report on trips they organize for lawmakers, staff and executive branch officials.

The measure would prohibit family members of lawmakers from lobbying the legislator's staff, and prevent senators from using their positions to urge lobbying firms to hire a person based on political affiliation, a response to the so-called ``K Street Project'' carried out by the Republicans in the last decade.

Doubling the Penalty

It would require that lobbyists for foreign governments, now subject to a different reporting system, make their reports available on the Internet. And it would double the penalty for failing to comply with the disclosure laws to $100,000.

Proponents of stronger lobbying laws said the Senate had failed to do its job in the wake of Abramoff's admission that he provided meals and drinks to at least one lawmaker and set up a charity to provide free travel. In addition, Representative Randy Cunningham, a California Republican, was sentenced this month to more than eight years in prison after admitting he took $2.4 million in bribes.

``It's a huge missed opportunity,'' said Gary Kalman, democracy advocate for the Washington-based U.S. Public Interest Research Group, an advocacy group that supports tougher lobbying laws. ``This is helpful, but it's not going to change the way business is going to be done in Washington.''

To contact the reporters on this story: Michael Forsythe in Washington mforsythe@bloomberg.net. Jonathan D. Salant in Washington at jsalant@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: March 29, 2006 18:14 EST