Kudos to Kirk

I'm glad to read that Congressman Kirk is in support of reforms to make the budget process more transparent and enforce accountability. I hope Congress' top priority is full disclosure, if not elimination, of all earmarks. From the Tribune:

Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), who is pushing to eliminate pensions for lawmakers convicted of felonies, said the legislation will be hard to oppose publicly despite the closed-door grumbling.

"My read on this is that regardless of people's concerns in private, when we get to the House floor, we will have an overwhelming majority for very hard-line reform," Kirk said.

While the reform zeal has slowed in the House, it does not seem to have diminished in the Senate. A bipartisan group including Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) has been working on legislation that could serve as the basis for a final Senate bill.

That proposal may include a ban on lobbyist-funded meals, gifts and travel; greater disclosure of earmarks that are considered in House-Senate conference committees; and greater disclosure by lobbyists and senators of their interactions.