http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/34531.htmlJust what it says... a temporary ban on earmarks, which essentially are items thrown in to a bill, which are completely unrelated to it. Most of the time they are used to get another senator/representative to vote for it.
A well-written bill should be passable based on its own merits and not have to have items thrown in, essentially as bribes, to get others to vote for it. You may be familiar with the Cornhusker Kickback, The Bridge to Nowhere, or the Turtle Tunnel in Florida. Several states, including Oklahoma have guidelines that require everything in a bill to be related to the bill.