Washington ? After a heated debate over ethics rules for lawmakers and lobbyists, the House on Wednesday narrowly passed a set of reforms, 217-213.

House Republican David Dreier, of California, who led the floor debate for his party, said the measures were “strong” and “bold” steps to put Congress on the path to reform.

The White House saluted the changes. Democrats decried the bill in the harshest terms, calling it a “sham,” “snake oil” and a “complete joke.”

The drama played out as public approval ratings of Congress are sagging and elections are six months off. On Wednesday, one Democrat after another invoked the names of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and ex-lawmaker Randy “Duke” Cunningham. Abramoff skimmed millions from American Indian tribal clients and lavished lawmakers with free meals and trips abroad. Cunningham pleaded guilty to bribery.

Key provisions of the bill:

l Lobbyists would be required to make quarterly reports, up from twice a year, and file them electronically, as they already do in the Senate.

l Lawmakers would be barred from taking privately sponsored trips until year’s end as the Ethics Committee rewrites rules on such trips. House staffers would be required to take ethics classes. The classes would be voluntary for new members of Congress, but if they failed to attend within 100 days of being sworn in, their names would be posted on the Web.

l “Earmarks,” the term for lawmakers’ pet projects that circumvent normal funding channels, would be made public in appropriations bills as would their sponsors’ names.

l Lawmakers would forfeit retirement benefits if convicted of bribery or acting as a foreign agent.

The measure now moves to a committee of House-Senate negotiators.