A House committee is still not ready to vote on new ethics rules for its members, but at least one critic feels like the process is moving in the right direction.

William Perry with watchdog group Common Cause says he's please with many aspects of the bill by House Speaker David Ralston including bringing back the authority of the State Ethics Commission and significantly reducing registration fees for lobbyists.

“We’re taking baby steps in that direction with each new version of this bill,” he says.

But Perry says it’s the exceptions to a gift ban for all state and locally elected officials where he still has a problem.  There is no ban on travel for a lawmaker and his staff or expenditures on caucuses, committees and subcommittees.

“There are things that could happen that would make us happy… put a $100 cap on those exceptions and then we accomplish what we all want,” he tells WSB’s Sandra Parrish.

The committee says it’s still taking input on the bill and is expected to take it up again next week.