Ethics

The past few years have seen several Members of Congress accused and convicted of violating House ethics rules, and in some cases, even breaking the law. Though few and far between, these actions have placed a cloud of mistrust over the entire Congress.  The ethics reform legislation passed last year, coupled with an overhaul of the earmarking process, is a step in the right direction. 

Independent Ethics Commission
Shortly after the 110th Congress began, I introduced H.R. 1108. My resolution would have created an Ethics Commission, comprised of former and current Members of Congress.  This is an important aspect that would have ensured the rules and procedures of the House were respected and followed.  My resolution also would have granted subpoena powers to the Ethics Commission, which would have provided more thorough investigations.  Finally, my Ethics Commission would have needed a majority vote to move forward with an investigation.  This would have prevented partisan witch-hunts. 

On March 11, 2008, the House of Representatives passed H. Res. 895.  This resolution created an independent Office of Congressional Ethics comprised of outside persons appointed by the Speaker and Minority Leader.  The Office of Congressional Ethics is charged with handling all ethics investigations and making disciplinary recommendations to the current Committee on Ethics.  I voted for the resolution because I promised to clean up Washington and believe it is a good first step.