Lawmakers OK Bill to Curb Immunity

Argentina’s Senate approved a measure that strips lawmakers of their immunity from criminal investigation--a move prompted by the outcry over a vote-buying scandal that has implicated 11 senators. The bill will become law if it is signed by President Fernando de la Rua. But it doesn’t mean that lawmakers will be subject to arrest or prosecution for wrongdoing: Although the measure lets investigations of legislators proceed, it leaves the rest of their immunity intact. The vote came a day after the lower house approved the bill. Previously, it had languished in Congress for two years.