The Senate has some 'splaining to do for lagging behind their counterparts in the House on two important ethics bills. The New York Times chides them for dragging their heels. While the House has voted in favor of banning the use of campaign contributions to pay spouses of House candidates, and files campaign finance disclosure reports electronically the Senate has approved neither of these simple, sensible reforms.

This cycle's presidential candidates might learn a thing or two from George W. Bush on the subject of disclosure: namely, to do more of it. Alexander Bolton at The Hill points to a discrepancy between candidates this time around talking more about disclosure of contributions, but doing less of it than Bush did with his list of Rangers and Pioneers bundlers.

The Helena Independent Record calls for mandatory disclosure of bundlers to presidential campaigns, noting that two high-profile bundlers, Jack Abramoff and Norman Hsu, have helped Montana candidates. Hsu, the felon-on-the-lam, gathered $4,750 for Montana Senator Jon Tester. Tester's predecessor, Conrad Burns, took $150,000 from Abramoff and his associates.

Sen Jim DeMint (R-SC) is in trouble with the FEC for failing to disclose about $175,00 in campaign contributions made in 2004 at the tail end of the campaign (full story at BNA, sub. req.). Ironic, really, given DeMint's recent tactics to delay a House and Senate conference committee on the lobbying and ethics overhaul package with his demands for the inclusion of a disclosure provision for earmarks.

The House voted today to strengthen campaign finance disclosure requirements, passing controversial measures to require disclosure of lobbyist "bundler" donors to candidates and multi-candidate political action committees (PACs). Read more on the vote here.

Senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama (D-IL) pens this editorial for the Chicago Tribune urging the House to join with the Senate in requiring disclosure of bundlers -- those who corral large contributions on behalf of a particular candidate -- to promote transparency and ensure accountability.