SEC. 4. INVESTIGATIONS AND INTERACTION WITH THE 
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON STANDARDS OF OFFI-
CIAL CONDUCT OR THE SENATE SELECT 
COMMITTEE ON ETHICS. 
(a) INITIATION OF ENFORCEMENT MATTERS.—(1) 
An investigation may be initiated by the filing of a com-
plaint with the Office by a Member of Congress or an out-
side complainant, or by the Office on its own initiative, 
based on any information in its possession. The Director 
shall not accept a complaint concerning a Member of Con-
gress within 60 days of an election involving such Member. 
(2) In the case of a complaint that is filed, the Direc-
tor shall within 30 days make an initial determination as 
to whether the complaint should be dismissed or whether 
there are sufficient grounds to conduct an investigation. 
The subject of the complaint shall be provided by the Di-
rector with an opportunity during the 30-day period to 
challenge the complaint. In any case where the Director 
decides to dismiss a complaint, the Director can determine 
the complaint to be frivolous. 
(3) Whenever the Director determines that a com-
plaint is frivolous, the Director shall not accept any future 
complaint filed by that same person and the complainant 
shall be required to pay for the costs of the Office result-
ing from such complaint. The Director may refer the mat-
ter to the Department of Justice to collect such costs. 
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(4) For any investigation conducted by the Office at 
its own initiative, the Director shall make a preliminary 
determination of whether there are sufficient grounds to 
conduct an investigation. Before making that determina-
tion, the subject of the investigation shall be provided by 
the Director with an opportunity to submit information 
to the Director that there are not sufficient grounds to 
conduct an investigation. 
(5) Whenever the Director determines that there are 
sufficient grounds to conduct an investigation— 
(A) the Director shall notify the Committee on 
Standards of Official Conduct or the Senate Select 
Committee on Ethics, as applicable, of this deter-
mination; 
(B) the applicable committee may overrule the 
determination of the Director if, within 10 legislative 
days— 
(i) the committee by an affirmative, roll- 
call vote of two-thirds of the full committee 
votes to overrule the determination of the Di-
rector; 
(ii) the committee issues a public report 
detailing its reasoning for overruling the Direc-
tor; 
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(iii) the vote of each member of the com-
mittee on such roll- call vote is included in the 
report; and 
(iv) dissenting members are allowed to 
issue their own report detailing their reasons 
for disagreeing with the majority vote; and 
(C) if the applicable committee votes to overrule 
the determination of the Director pursuant to sub-
paragraph (B), the Director may publish and make 
available to the general public a report detailing the 
reasons that the Director concluded there were suffi-
cient grounds to conduct an investigation. 
(b) CONDUCTING INVESTIGATIONS.—(1) If the Direc-
tor determines that there are sufficient grounds to conduct 
an investigation and his determination is not overruled 
under subsection (a)(5), the Director shall conduct an in-
vestigation to determine if probable cause exists that a vio-
lation occurred. 
(2) As part of an investigation, the Director may— 
(A) administer oaths; 
(B) issue subpoenas; 
(C) compel the attendance of witnesses and the 
production of papers, books, accounts, documents, 
and testimony; and 
(D) take the deposition of witnesses. 
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(3) If a person disobeys or refuses to comply with 
a subpoena, or if a witness refuses to testify to a matter, 
he may be held in contempt of Congress. 
(c) PRESENTATION OF CASE TO HOUSE COMMITTEE 
ON STANDARDS OF OFFICIAL CONDUCT OR SENATE SE-
LECT COMMITTEE ON ETHICS.—(1) If the Director deter-
mines, upon conclusion of an investigation, that probable 
cause exists that an ethics violation has occurred, the Di-
rector shall notify the Committee on Standards of Official 
Conduct of the House of Representatives or the Senate 
Select Committee on Ethics, as applicable, of this deter-
mination. 
(2) The applicable committee may overrule the deter-
mination of the Director if, within 10 legislative days— 
(A) the committee by an affirmative, roll-call 
vote of two-thirds of the full committee votes to 
overrule the determination of the Director; 
(B) the committee issues a public report detail-
ing its reasoning for overruling the Director; 
(C) the vote of each member of the committee 
on such roll-call vote is included in the report; and 
(D) dissenting members are allowed to issue 
their own report detailing their reasons for dis-
agreeing with the majority vote. 
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(3) If the applicable committee votes to overrule the 
determination of the Director pursuant to paragraph (2), 
the Director may publish and make available to the gen-
eral public a report detailing the reasons that he concluded 
there were sufficient grounds to present such case to the 
committee. 
(4)(A) If the Director determines there is probable 
cause that an ethics violation has occurred and the Direc-
tor’s determination is not overruled, the Director shall 
present the case and evidence to the Committee on Stand-
ards of Official Conduct of the House of Representatives 
or the Senate Select Committee on Ethics, as applicable, 
to hear and make a determination pursuant to its rules. 
(B) The applicable committee shall vote upon wheth-
er the individual who is the subject of the investigation 
has violated any rules or other standards of conduct appli-
cable to that individual in his official capacity. Such votes 
shall be a roll-call vote of the full committee, a quorum 
being present. The committee shall issue a public report 
which shall include the vote of each member of the com-
mittee on such roll-call vote. Dissenting members may 
issue their own report detailing their own reasons for dis-
agreeing with the majority vote. 
(f) SANCTIONS.—Whenever the Committee on Stand-
ards of Official Conduct of the House of Representatives 
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or the Senate Select Committee on Ethics finds that an 
ethics violation has occurred, the Director shall rec-
ommend appropriate sanctions to the committee and 
whether a matter should be referred to the Department 
of Justice for investigation. 
SEC. 5. CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW AND IN THE RULES OF 
THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. 
(a) RULES OF THE HOUSE.—(1) Paragraphs (a) 
through (e) of clause 3 of rule XI of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives are amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(a) The Committee on Standards of Official Con-
duct has the following functions: 
‘‘(1) The committee may recommend to the 
House from time to time such administrative actions 
as it may consider appropriate to establish or en-
force standards of official conduct for Members, Del-
egates, the Resident Commissioner, officers, and em-
ployees of the House. A letter of reproval or other 
administrative action of the committee pursuant to 
an investigation by the Office of Public Integrity re-
ferred to in subparagraph (2) shall only be issued or 
implemented as a part of a report required by such 
subparagraph. 
‘‘(2) The committee may hear, in an adjudica-
tory capacity, a case presented to it by the Director 
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of the Office of Public Integrity (hereinafter referred 
to in this clause as the ‘Director’) of an alleged vio-
lation by a Member, Delegate, Resident Commis-
sioner, officer, or employee of the House of the Code 
of Official Conduct or of a rule or other standard of 
conduct applicable to the conduct of such Member, 
Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, or em-
ployee in the performance of his duties or the dis-
charge of his responsibilities. After notice and hear-
ing (unless the right to such a hearing is waived by 
the Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, offi-
cer, or employee), the committee shall report to the 
House its findings of fact and recommendations, if 
any, for the final disposition of any such investiga-
tion and such action as the committee may consider 
appropriate in the circumstances. 
‘‘(3) After the Director determines that there 
are sufficient grounds to pursue an investigation of 
any individual referred to in subparagraph (2) or 
that there is probable cause to believe that a viola-
tion has occurred, the committee may overrule this 
determination by a two-thirds vote of the committee 
within 10 legislative days after being so notified by 
the Director. Any such vote shall be recorded and 
made available to the public. If the committee re-
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verses the Director’s determination to proceed with 
the case, then the committee shall file in a timely 
manner a report to the House and made available to 
the general public explaining its decision. Committee 
members who voted against reversing the Director’s 
determination may file their own public reports on 
the matter. 
‘‘(4) The committee may report to the appro-
priate Federal or State authorities, either with the 
approval of the House or by an affirmative vote of 
a majority of the members of the committee, any 
substantial evidence of a violation by a Member, 
Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, or em-
ployee of the House, of a law applicable to the per-
formance of his duties or the discharge of his re-
sponsibilities that may have been disclosed to the 
committee by the Director as the result of an inves-
tigation. 
‘‘(b)(1) Unless approved by an affirmative vote of a 
majority of its members, the Committee on Standards of 
Official Conduct may not report a resolution, report,or 
recommendation relating to the official conduct of a Mem-
ber, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, or em-
ployee of the House. 
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‘‘(2) A member of the committee shall be ineligible 
to participate as a member of the committee in a com-
mittee proceeding relating to the member’s official con-
duct. Whenever a member of the committee is ineligible 
to act as a member of the committee under the preceding 
sentence, the Speaker shall designate a Member, Delegate, 
or Resident Commissioner from the same political party 
as the ineligible member to act in any proceeding of the 
committee relating to that conduct. 
‘‘(3) A member of the committee may disqualify him-
self from participating in an investigation of the conduct 
of a Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, 
or employee of the House upon the submission in writing 
and under oath of an affidavit of disqualification stating 
that the member cannot render an impartial and unbiased 
decision in the case in which the member seeks to be dis-
qualified. If the committee approves and accepts such affi-
davit of disqualification, the chairman shall so notify the 
Speaker and request the Speaker to designate a Member, 
Delegate, or Resident Commissioner from the same polit-
ical party as the disqualifying member to act in any pro-
ceeding of the committee relating to that case. 
‘‘(4) Information or testimony received, or the con-
tents of a complaint or the fact of its filing, may not be 
publicly disclosed by any committee or staff member un-
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less specifically authorized in each instance by a vote of 
the full committee. 
‘‘(c)(1) Notwithstanding clause 2(g)(1) of rule XI, 
each meeting of the Committee on Standards of Official 
Conduct or a subcommittee thereof shall occur in executive 
session unless the committee or subcommittee, by an af-
firmative vote of a majority of its members, opens the 
meeting to the public. 
‘‘(2) Notwithstanding clause 2(g)(2) of rule XI, each 
adjudicatory hearing of the Committee on Standards of 
Official Conduct shall be held in open session unless the 
committee, in open session by an affirmative vote of a ma-
jority of its members, closes all or part of the remainder 
of the hearing on that day to the public. 
‘‘(d) Before a member, officer, or employee of the 
Committee on Standards of Official Conduct may have ac-
cess to information that is confidential under the rules of 
the committee, the following oath (or affirmation) shall 
be executed: 
‘‘ ‘I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will 
not disclose, to any person or entity outside the 
Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, any in-
formation received in the course of my service with 
the committee, except as authorized by the com-
mittee or in accordance with its rules.’. 
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Copies of the executed oath shall be retained by the Clerk 
as part of the records of the House. This paragraph estab-
lishes a standard of conduct within the meaning of para-
graph (a)(2). Breaches of confidentiality shall be inves-
tigated by the Committee on Standards of Official Con-
duct and appropriate action shall be taken.’’. 
(2) Paragraphs (f) through (q) of clause 3 of rule 
XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives is amend-
ed by redesignating paragraphs (f) through (i) as para-
graphs (e) through (h), respectively, and by striking para-
graphs (j) through (q), and in redesignated paragraph (g) 
by striking ‘‘any hearing held by an adjudicatory sub-
committee or’’ both places it appears. 
(3) Clause 5(a)(4) of rule X of the Rules of the House 
of Representatives is repealed. 
(b) STANDING RULES OF THE SENATE.—øLanguage 
to be inserted by the Senate.¿ 
(c) CHANGES IN ETHICS IN GOVERNMENT ACT OF 
1978.—(1) The following provisions of the Ethics in Gov-
ernment Act of 1978 are each amended as follows: 
(A) In section 101(h), strike ‘‘the congressional 
ethics committees’’ and insert ‘‘the Director of the 
Office of Public Integrity’’. 
(B) In section 103(h)(1)(A), strike ‘‘Clerk of 
the House of Representatives’’ each place it appears 
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