O.C. Congressmen Welcome Ban on Gifts : Rules: Lawmakers say they do not get expensive items now. The new restrictions will take effect in January.

Seeking to buff its tarnished image, the House adopted a no-gift policy, forcing lawmakers to say, “No, thanks” when offered anything from baseball caps from the local Rotary Club to lobster dinners with lobbyists.

Orange County’s lawmakers said they do not expect any problems from the gift ban because they do not currently receive expensive gifts.

The policy takes effect in January.

Consumer groups praised the ban.

“Under the new gift rule, members of Congress will do what their constituents do: pay their own way,” said Ann McBride, president of Common Cause, the consumer watchdog group.

The zero-gift policy, passed Thursday night, was proposed by House Speaker Newt Gingrich. It was substituted for a less-stringent gift reform plan passed by the Senate in July.

“The rule ought to be no gifts,” Gingrich told lawmakers during a debate on the House floor. “You didn’t get them before you got here, you shouldn’t get them now.”

Questions have been raised about the implications of a total ban on gifts. Some lawmakers, concerned about offending well-meaning constituents, worry that they will no longer be allowed to accept so much as a cup of coffee.

But Rep. Edward Royce (R-Fullerton) said that now that the rule is clear, lawmakers shouldn’t worry about offending constituents and lobbyists. Royce co-sponsored similar legislation with Rep. Linda Smith (R-Wash.)

“I think it is good to set an outright position,” he said. “Once you explain that it is a rule of the House of Representatives, they aren’t going to be offended.”

Royce said the main gifts dropped by his office were packets of almonds from local growers. But with the new rule, he said, his staff will have to return the tasty nuts. “We’ll slim down,” he said.

Paul Mero, a spokesman for Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove), said of the ban, “In this office it isn’t a big deal. It sounds cold, but if it becomes the rule, we abide by the rules.”

Dale Neugebauer, spokesman for Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach), said the office has been deluged with sweets from sugar producers because the commodity program is slated for cuts in the GOP budget. He added that the office follows current rules concerning gifts.

Rep. Jay C. Kim (R-Diamond Bar) also does not receive expensive trinkets or accept expense-paid vacations.

“The amount of gifts coming into this office is minimal,” said Kim’s spokesman Bruce Allen. “You’re looking at the occasional coffee mug or candy bar from Nestle, and we’ve got a couple of models of plastic planes that say ‘UPS’ on them.”

The Senate plan permits gifts of up to $50, but gifts from any single source may not be worth more than $100. The Senate also bans expense-paid travel and lodging for charity and other sporting events.

The House went further than the Senate, banning all gifts, making exceptions for presents from family members and close friends, and inconsequential items such as honorary plaques and greeting cards.

But lawmakers rejected a watered-down reform effort introduced by Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.) that would have kept the gift limit at the current $250 level and allowed expense-paid trips to charity golf and ski events. The Burton measure would have required public disclosure for each gift of more than $50.