IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1249 

Raising a question of the privileges of the House. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 14, 2010 

Mr. BOEHNER submitted the following resolution 

APRIL 14, 2010 

By motion of the House, referred to the Committee on Standards of Official 

Conduct 

RESOLUTION 

Raising a question of the privileges of the House. 

Whereas, on March 4, 2010, the Committee on Standards of 

Official Conduct issued the following public statement, 

‘‘The Committee, pursuant to rule 18(a), is investigating 

and gathering additional information concerning matters 

related to allegations involving Representative Massa’’; 

Whereas, on March 8, 2010, Representative Eric Massa resigned from the House; 

Whereas, in the days following Representative Massa’s resignation, numerous confusing and conflicting media reports that House Democratic leaders knew about, and 

may have failed to handle appropriately, allegations that 

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ployees raised serious and legitimate questions about 

what Speaker Pelosi, as well as other Democratic leaders 

and their respective staffs, were told, and what those individuals did with the information in their possession; 

Whereas, on March 11, 2010, the House of Representatives 

voted 402–1 to refer to the Standards Committee House 

Resolution 1164. The resolution would have directed the 

Committee on Standards of Official Conduct to ‘‘investigate fully, pursuant to clause 3(a)(2) of House rule XI, 

which Democratic leaders and members of their respective staffs had knowledge prior to March 3, 2010, of the 

aforementioned allegations concerning Mr. Massa, and 

what actions each leader and staffer having any such 

knowledge took after learning of the allegations’’; 

Whereas, House Resolution 1164 also stated, ‘‘Within ten 

days following the adoption of this resolution, and pursuant to Committee on Standards of Official Conduct rule 

19, the committee shall establish an investigative subcommittee in the aforementioned matter, or report to the 

House no later than the final day of that period the reasons for its failure to do so’’; 

Whereas, thirty-four days have passed since the House vote 

on the resolution that, had it passed, would have required 

the Standards Committee to create an investigative subcommittee. Nevertheless, during that time, the committee 

has failed to establish an investigative subcommittee and 

has issued no public announcements indicating its intention to do so; 

Whereas, during the past thirty-four days, numerous news reports have made public additional disturbing information 

about Mr. Massa’s actions and his staff’s attempts to 


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bring their concerns about Mr. Massa’s conduct to the 

attention of Democratic leadership; 

Whereas, the possibility that House Democratic leaders may 

have failed to immediately confront Representative Massa 

about allegations of sexual harassment may have exposed 

employees and interns of Representative Massa to continued harassment; 

Whereas, as recently as this morning, The Washington Post 

published an article on its Web site and on page three 

of that newspaper headlined ‘‘Staffers’ Accounts Paint 

More Detailed, Troubling Picture of Massa’s Office’’; 

Whereas, the same Washington Post article also contained 

the following sub-headline: ‘‘Workers Felt Helpless’’; 

Whereas, in the wake of the aforementioned media accounts 

and a 402–1 vote by the House that should have signaled 

to the committee the seriousness of this matter, the continued failure by the Committee on Standards of Official 

Conduct to establish an investigative subcommittee has 

held the committee and the full House to public ridicule; 

Whereas, clause one of rule XXIII of the Rules of the House 

of Representatives, titled ‘‘Code of Conduct’’ states ‘‘A 

Member, Delegate, Resident Commission, officer, or employee of the House shall conduct himself at all times in 

a manner that shall reflect creditably on the House’’; 

Whereas, the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct is 

charged under House rules with enforcing the Code of 

Conduct; 

1 Therefore, be it resolved, 

2 (1) the Committee on Standards of Official 

3 Conduct is directed to investigate fully, pursuant to 


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1 clause 3(a)(2) of House rule XI, which House 

2 Democratic leaders and members of their respective 

3 staffs had knowledge prior to March 3, 2010, of the 

4 aforementioned allegations concerning Mr. Massa, 

5 and what actions each leader and staffer having any 

6 such knowledge took after learning of the allega7 tions; 

8 (2) within ten days following adoption of this 

9 resolution, and pursuant to Committee on Standards 

10 of Official Conduct rule 19, the committee shall es11 tablish an investigative subcommittee in the afore12 mentioned matter, or report to the House no later 

13 than the final day of that period the reasons for its 

14 failure to do so; 

15 (3) all Members, officers and staff are in16 structed to cooperate fully in the committee’s inves17 tigation and to preserve all records, electronic or 

18 otherwise, that may bear on the subject of this in19 vestigation; 

20 (4) the Chief Administrative Officer shall imme21 diately take all steps necessary to secure and prevent 

22 the alteration or deletion of any e-mails, text mes23 sages, voicemails and other electronic records resi24 dent on House equipment that have been sent or re25 ceived by the Members and staff who are the subVerDate Nov 24 2008 21:30 Apr 15, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1249.RTH HR1249

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1 jects of the investigation authorized under this reso2 lution until advised by the Committee on Standards 

3 of Official Conduct that it has no need of any por4 tion of said records; and 

5 (5) the Committee shall issue a final report of 

6 its findings and recommendations in this matter no 

7 later than July 31, 2010. 

Æ 


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