Another worthy halfstep toward cleaning up Congress is a provision to shine light on the age-old practice of lawmakers slipping special measures into legislation for pet projects. These "earmarks" are often hidden or last-minute. The House already has toughened its rules on earmarks, opening them up to debate. The Senate negotiators, however, faltered, and the bill now allows the majority leader, not the neutral parliamentarian, to disclose earmarks. And revealing them on a database for the public to see will be done only if "technically feasible."

Such limits would still allow many earmarks to be kept hidden. And the measure also does not require lawmakers to reveal earmarks that would benefit themselves or their families.

Another reform would end the practice of a single senator being able to secretly put a "hold" on almost any action. Many federal appointments have been delayed or blocked because of this concealed power. The bill also strikes a limited blow at the "revolving door" of former lawmakers cashing in on their influence by becoming lobbyists.

All these steps, while not exactly what they might have been, will help restore some public faith in American democracy, reduce wasteful spending, and speed up the process of legislating. They also may reduce the power of incumbents in Congress, especially the ability to collect more campaign money than new political opponents.

The Senate should not balk at this bill, which was largely shepherded to this point by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Voters need more than the ballot box to punish lawmakers who bend to money and power. They need to see tougher rules on ethics that let Congress also punish its own.