"I was very surprised at the leeway apparently granted by this committee," said Cynthia Berry, a leading lobbyist for Powell Goldstein and head of the Washington firm's political action committee. For party hosts, she added, the ruling "gives them opportunities to continue to do what they were already doing."

Still, Berry said stiff penalties in the law — it threatens prison time and fines for offending lobbyists and lost pensions for lax lawmakers — means some won't bother with parties at next year's convention even with the clarification.

"Nobody wants to be a test case," she said. "Nobody wants to be made an example of."

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