IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1164 

Raising a question of the privileges of the House. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 11, 2010 

Mr. BOEHNER submitted the following resolution 

MARCH 11, 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 8, 2010, Representative Eric Massa resigned from the House; 

Whereas numerous newspapers and other media organizations reported in the days before and after Mr. Massa’s 

resignation that the Committee on Standards of Official 

Conduct was investigating allegations that Mr. Massa 

sexually harassed members of his congressional staff; 

Whereas, on March 3, 2010, Majority Leader Hoyer’s office 

issued a statement saying, ‘‘The week of Feburary 8th, 

a member of Rep. Massa’s staff brought to the attention 

of Mr. Hoyer’s staff allegations of misconduct that had 


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been made against Mr. Massa. Mr. Hoyer’s staff immediately informed him of what they had been told’’; 

Whereas, on Thursday, March 4, Roll Call newspaper reported, ‘‘Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she only learned 

Wednesday of misconduct allegations against freshman 

Rep. Eric Massa, though her staff had learned of it earlier and decided against briefing her. ‘There had been a 

rumor, but just that’, Pelosi told reporters at her weekly 

news conference. ‘A one-, two-, three-person rumor that 

had been reported to Mr. Hoyer’s office and reported to 

my staff which they did not report to me because you 

know what? This is rumor city. There are rumors.’ ’’; 

Whereas, on March 11, 2010, The Washington Post reported, 

‘‘House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office was notified in October by then-Rep. Eric Massa’s top aide [Joe Racalto] 

of concerns about the New York Democrat’s behavior’’; 

Whereas, on March 11, 2010, Politico newspaper reported, 

‘‘Democratic insiders say Pelosi’s office took no action 

after Racalto expressed his concerns about his then-boss 

in October’’; 

Whereas, on March 9, 2010, The Corning Leader newspaper 

reported, ‘‘Hoyer said last week he told Massa to inform 

the House Ethics Committee of the charges within 48 

hours. ‘Steny Hoyer has never said a single word to me, 

never, not once, not a word’, Massa said Sunday. ‘This 

is a lie. It is a blatant false statement.’ ’’; 

Whereas numerous confusing and conflicting media reports 

that House Democratic leaders knew about, and may 

have failed to handle appropriately, allegations that Rep. 

Massa was sexually harassing his own employees have 

raised serious and legitimate questions about what 


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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 the aforementioned media accounts have held the 

House up to public ridicule; 

Whereas the possibility that House Democratic leaders may 

have failed to immediately confront Rep. Massa about allegations of sexual harassment may have exposed employees and interns of Rep. Massa to continued harassment; 

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’’; and 

Whereas the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct is 

charged under House Rules with enforcing the Code of 

Conduct: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That— 

2 (1) the Committee on Standards of Official 

3 Conduct is directed to investigate fully, pursuant to 

4 clause 3(a)(2) of the House Rule XI, which House 

5 Democratic leaders and members of their respective 

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

7 aforementioned allegations concerning Mr. Massa, 

8 and what actions each leader and staffer having any 

9 such knowledge took after learning of the allega10 tions; 


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1 (2) within ten days following adoption of this 

2 resolution, and pursuant to Committee on Standards 

3 of Official Conduct rule 19, the committee shall es4 tablish an Investigative Subcommittee in the afore5 mentioned matter, or report to the House no later 

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

7 failure to do so; 

8 (3) all members and staff are instructed to co9 operate fully in the committee’s investigation and to 

10 preserve all records, electronic or otherwise, that 

11 may bear on the subject of this investigation; 

12 (4) the Chief Administrative Officer shall imme13 diately take all steps necessary to secure and prevent 

14 the alteration or deletion of any e-mails, text mes15 sages, voicemails, and other electronic records resi16 dent on House equipment that have been sent or re17 ceived by the Members and staff who are the sub18 jects of the investigation authorized under this reso19 lution until advised by the Committee on Standards 

20 of Official Conduct that it has no need of any por21 tion of said records; and 

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

23 its findings and recommendations in this matter no 

24 later than June 30, 2010. 

Æ 


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