NATION IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : HUD Reform Bill Passed by House

A bill aimed at reforming the Department of Housing and Urban Development was passed by the House on a voice vote and sent to the Senate. The bill requires that consultants and lobbyists register with HUD, disclose whom they work for and report their fees. Grant recipients would have to report any use of lobbyists or consultants. The measure creates financial watchdogs for the department and the Federal Housing Administration, revises the FHA mortgage program and prohibits loans for second homes. It curbs the program of subsidies for renovating low-income housing that is at the heart of the current probe of influence peddling. Earlier, a panel had stripped from the bill a provision for a major overhaul of federal housing programs.