Earmarks for federal funding, like lobbyists, are not all evil. It should be noted that the Iraq Study Group was created when Rep. Frank Wolf of Virginia inserted a $1 million earmark into a 2005 supplemental spending bill for the war.

Some government watchers might hope for the abolishment of earmarks by the 110th Congress, but that is not a political reality.

What has emerged in the U.S. Senate and the House are good steps toward providing taxpayers with the transparency needed to hold elected lawmakers accountable for spending decisions.

The Senate voted for rules changes on Tuesday that will require senators who ask for money for a project or tax break that will benefit a special-interest group to submit a written outline of the request's purpose and beneficiaries. Senators must certify that they have no financial stake in the project. These statements will be posted on the Internet for all to see within 48 hours after submission to the committee that has jurisdiction over the funding request.

New Senate rules also require that at least 48 hours before a bill comes up for a vote, any earmarks in the proposal and the names of their sponsors must be posted on the Internet. CNN reported online that this includes measures that bypass the normal committee process and conference reports reconciling differences between Senate and House bills. Both have been popular ways to slip in earmarks in the past.

The House adopted similar rules earlier this session, although it stopped short of requiring the posting of the data on the Internet.

What might be viewed as one lawmaker's pork may indeed be another lawmaker's much-needed funding for improving infrastructure or economic development back home. Although a favored saying in Washington is, "It never hurts to ask," it's important for the American people to be able to identify exactly who's doing the asking and for how much.

These disclosure rules provide a way to do just that.