By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, New York Times

WASHINGTON, July 23 (AP) Spouses would be barred from the payrolls of campaigns under a measure approved by voice vote on Monday in the House.

The bill would bar a federal candidate's spouse from being paid by the candidate's campaign or leadership political action committee. The ban would also apply to companies or firms in which the spouse was an officer or director. The measure would also require disclosure of payments from campaigns of PACs to other immediate members of a candidate's family.

The longstanding practice of hiring relatives for campaign jobs "has shown the potential to foster corruption," said Representative Adam B. Schiff, the California Democrat who is chief sponsor of the measure.

In a recent report, the liberal watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington concluded that in the past six years about 60 current House members spent $5.1 million in campaign money to pay relatives, or relatives' companies or employers.

The bill now goes to the Senate where its fate is uncertain.

Numerous members of Congress say their spouses, children or other close relatives do valuable campaign work that should be compensated.