House Rules Committee Nixes Surprise Attempt to Move Leach Bil by Bradley Vallerius U.S. Reps. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., and James Leach, R-Iowa, have again demonstrated their commitment to prohibiting Internet gambling in the United States, this time through an attempt at progressing Leach's bill in an unorthodox way. On Wednesday evening, one day prior to a session in which the entire House of Representatives was to consider its version of the much discussed lobbying reform bill, the House Rules Committee met to decide which amendments would be made in order during consideration of the bill. At that meeting Goodlatte and Leach apparently filed Leach's HR 4411, The Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, as an amendment. Their bid was denied, however, by House Rules Chairman David Dreier, R-Calif., and the House Republican leadership staff. House Republican leadership reportedly rejected the Leach bill as an amendment to lobbying reform bill, HR 4975, because it is not germane and because it has already been referred to the House Judiciary Committee, where it awaits a hearing in early May. Washington insiders say the attempt by Leach and Goodlatte was unconventional and surprising, and they note that permitting the Leach bill to circumvent the Judiciary Committee would have probably angered that committee's chairman, Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wisc., It might also have put the lobbying reform bill at serious of risk failing. As it turned out, the lobbying reform bill was nearly defeated Thursday, when a procedural vote yielded 216 votes of support and 207 votes of opposition. Insiders also note that Leach and Goodlatte's unusual attempt to attach the Leach bill was tantamount to asking an exorbitant favor of the Republican leadership, which likely indicates the intense level of commitment the two Congressmen are willing to contribute to prohibiting Internet gambling in the United States. FROM THE EDITOR: Tell us what you want to read about in IGN. About the Author IGN acquired Bradley Vallerius from GNC in '03 for a Sony Walkman, a bag of "River City Group" lip balm and a player to be named later. He hung around until Tony's on Main Street a half block from River City Group Headquarters took lasagna off the all-you-can-eat buffet.

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