Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to provide increased accountability and transparency in the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.

2/27/2008--Introduced.
Amends Rule X (Organization of Committees) of the Rules of the House of Representatives to revise the composition of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. Requires Committee members to be appointed jointly by the Speaker of the House and the minority leader: three from the majority party, three from the minority party, and four former Members who have not been registered lobbyists for the last two years. (Currently the Speaker picks five and the minority leader picks five.) Limits chairmanship of the Committee to a current Member only. Rotates chairmanship of the Committee between the two parties from Congress to Congress after the 111th Congress, regardless of which party is in the majority. Requires the chairmanship for the 111th Congress to be held by a member of the majority party. Amends Rule II (Other Officers and Officials) to require the Inspector General, upon receipt, to transmit to the Committee (without any change) any written information submitted by an outside individual or organization of an alleged violation of the Code of Official Conduct by Members, Delegates, the Resident Commissioner, or House officers or employees. Amends Rule XI (Procedures of Committees and Unfinished Business) to require the Committee to publish a monthly report on its investigative activities, without disclosing the name of any individual who is the subject of any allegation or its particulars. Requires the Committee to:
(1) disclose publicly its inability to reach a resolution of an alleged violation; and
(2) forward the complaint and all accompanying documentation to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for its consideration if such impasse persists. Requires the Committee to disclose publicly whether a Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, or House officer or employee is under investigation.

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Sponsor

• Rep. Lamar Smith [R, TX-21]
• and 14 Co-Sponsors
  • Rep. Roy Blunt [R, MO-7]
  • Rep. John Boehner [R, OH-8]
  • Rep. David Camp [R, MI-4]
  • Rep. John Campbell [R, CA-48]
  • Rep. Eric Cantor [R, VA-7]
  • Rep. John Carter [R, TX-31]
  • Rep. Tom Cole [R, OK-4]
  • Rep. David Dreier [R, CA-26]
  • Rep. Robert Goodlatte [R, VA-6]
  • Rep. Kay Granger [R, TX-12]
  • Rep. David Hobson [R, OH-7]
  • Rep. Thaddeus McCotter [R, MI-11]
  • Rep. Adam Putnam [R, FL-12]
  • Rep. Todd Tiahrt [R, KS-4]
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Committees

• House Rules

Amendments

This bill has no amendments.

Amendments to H.Res.1003

Number	Status	Purpose

Bill Status

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Introduced		Voted on by House
February 27, 2008

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• Feb 27, 2008: Referred to the House Committee on Rules.
• Introduced on Feb 27, 2008.

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In the News

March 04, 2008 House Democrats Offer Revamped Ethics Proposal, Hope to Break Deadlock

Republican leaders support a proposal ( H Res 1003 ) by the Capuano task force’s top Republican, Lamar Smith of Texas, that would expand the current House ...

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March 04, 2008 House Proposal to Create Outside Ethics Panel Remains an Uphill Battle

... of Massachusetts, should meet with the author of the Republicans’ version, Lamar Smith of Texas, to discuss Smith’s counterproposal ( H Res 1003 ). ...

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