```

[Journal of the House of Representatives, 1995]
[Thursday, September 28, 1995 (122), Para 122.4 Point of Order]
[Pages 1460-1461]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

para.122.4  point of order

  Mr. JOHNSTON of Florida during one minute speeches addressed the House 
and, during the course of his remarks,
  Mr. EHLERS made a point of order, and said:
  ``Mr. Speaker, the gentleman is addressing a matter currently under 
consideration by the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, and 
under House rules that is not permitted.''.
  Mr. DOGGETT was recognized to speak to the point of order and said:
  ``Mr. Speaker, on March 8 of this year, Speaker Gingrich himself 
announced a new policy concerning speech on the House floor. Let me 
quote directly, for your consideration in making this ruling, his 
comments on March 8.
  ``He said, and I quote, `The fact is, Members of the House are allowed 
to say virtually anything on the House floor. It is protected and has 
been for 200 years. It is written into the Constitution.'
  ``Mr. Speaker, it would seem to me, in view of the Speaker's own 
words, that comments about the Speaker and about ethics on the floor of 
this House are certainly within the rules of the House.''.
  Mr. EHLERS was recognized to speak to the point of order and said:
  ``Mr. Speaker, that point that was just made has been made a number of 
times. The point is simply the rules of the House prevent us from 
speaking about matters which are under consideration in the Committee on 
Standards of Official Conduct, and the speaker was out of order.''.
  Mr. WISE was recognized to speak to the point of order and said:
  ``Mr. Speaker, yes, I wish to comment. As I understood the remarks of 
the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Johnston], they were directed at the 
Committee on Standards of Official Conduct and the process it is 
undertaking. Those remarks also went to a general process and, as I 
think he specifically referred to, proceedings affecting any Member.
  ``Mr. Speaker, certainly I would hope that the general conduct of the 
Committee on Standards of Official Conduct would be a proper subject for 
discussion here on the House floor.''.
  Mr. JOHNSTON of Florida was recognized to speak to the point of order 
and said:
  ``Mr. Speaker, if I may further address the inquiry, I agree with the 
last speaker. I was inquiring and investigating the process of the 
committee itself, and not into the specific inquiry of the Speaker. I 
think if the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Ehlers] listened closely, the 
gentleman would see the distinction of his complaints last week and the 
freedom of speech.''.
  Mr. DOGGETT was recognized to speak to the point of order and said:
  ``Mr. Speaker, if I might be heard further on the point of order. In 
consideration of the rules, particularly as it relates to the Committee 
on Standards of Official Conduct, I believe that the rules do refer to 
certain proceedings in front of the Committee on Standards of Official 
Conduct being secret.
  ``But, Mr. Speaker, when the chairwoman of the Committee on Standards 
of Official Conduct comments publicly and repeatedly in the newspapers 
on this subject, surely there is an exception within our rules to permit 
our Members to comment on the proceedings in front of that committee 
when she is, herself, speaking about the Committee on Standards and 
Official Conduct and how it is disregarding its own rules.''. 

[[Page 1461]]

  The SPEAKER pro tempore, Mr. HEFLEY, sustained the point of order, and 
said:
  ``The Chair is prepared to rule on the point of order raised by the 
gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Ehlers]. The Member is reminded not to 
refer to matters currently pending before the Committee on Standards of 
Official Conduct, and Members should refrain from references in debate 
to the official conduct of other Members where such conduct is not under 
consideration in the House by way of a report of the Committee on 
Standards of Official Conduct or a question of the privilege of the 
House.''.
```