IV
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. CON. RES. 53
Directing the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of
the Senate to compile and make available to the public the names
of candidates for election to the House of Representatives and the Senate
who agree to conduct campaigns in accordance with a Code of Election
Ethics.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 7, 2001
Mr. BALDACCI submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on House Administration
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Directing the Clerk of the House of Representatives and
the Secretary of the Senate to compile and make avail-
able to the public the names of candidates for election
to the House of Representatives and the Senate who
agree to conduct campaigns in accordance with a Code
of Election Ethics.
Whereas electoral campaigns throughout the Nation are sub-
ject to unacceptable levels of negativism, attack adver-
tising, and other practices which demean representative
democracy;
Whereas negative campaigns are directly related to the cyni-
cism, alienation, and decreasing participation rates
among American voters;
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Whereas all Americans have a stake in positive electoral proc-
esses, the centerpiece of civil society;
Whereas each candidate is responsible for fair and ethical
practices by or on behalf of the candidate’s campaign;
and
Whereas the five core values of honesty, respect, responsi-
bility, fairness, and compassion are fundamental to our
society and are widely shared throughout the United
States: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring),
SECTION 1. COMPILATION OF NAMES OF CANDIDATES
AGREEING TO FOLLOW CODE OF ELECTION
ETHICS.
The Clerk of the House of Representatives and the
Secretary of the Senate shall—
(1) provide upon request to any candidate for
election to the House of Representatives or the Sen-
ate (as the case may be) a statement of agreement
to conduct the campaign for election for such office
in accordance with the Code of Election Ethics de-
scribed in section 2;
(2) compile a list of the names of all candidates
who sign and return such statement to the Clerk or
the Secretary (as the case may be); and
(3) make such list available upon request to any
member of the public.
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SEC. 2. CODE OF ELECTION ETHICS DESCRIBED.
The Code of Election Ethics described in this section
reads as follows:
‘‘My campaign will be committed to the principles of
honesty, fairness, respect for my opponents, responsibility,
and compassion.
‘‘HONESTY AND FAIRNESS
‘‘I shall emphasize my views, beliefs, and experiences.
I am committed to an open and public discussion of issues
and presenting my record with sincerity and frankness.
‘‘I shall not use or agree to let third parties use subtle
deceptions, half-truths, falsifications, or such practices as
push polling. If such practices are used by third parties
without my approval, I shall repudiate those practices im-
mediately and publicly upon my knowledge of their occur-
rence.
‘‘Factual claims made by my campaign will be sup-
ported by publicly available documents provided by my
campaign office.
‘‘RESPECT
‘‘I shall avoid demeaning references to my opponents
and demeaning visual images of my opponents.
‘‘I shall respect my opponents. I shall not use or allow
to be used personal attacks, innuendo, or stereotyping.
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‘‘RESPONSIBILITY
‘‘I shall ensure that my campaign staff and campaign
supporters will observe these principles of fair campaign
practices. I take full responsibility for all advertising cre-
ated or used on my behalf by staff and supporters.
‘‘I shall conduct my campaign openly and publicly,
discussing the issues as I see them, presenting my record
and policies with sincerity and frankness, and criticizing
without fear and without malice the record and policies
of my opponents and their political parties that merit such
criticism.
‘‘I will not condone or allow third-party advertising
which does not meet the principles contained in this docu-
ment. If such practices are used by third parties without
my approval, I shall repudiate those practices immediately
and publicly upon my knowledge of their occurrence.
‘‘COMPASSION
‘‘In the conduct of my candidacy, I shall show com-
passion at all times for my opponent. I shall remember
that the campaign process is fundamental to representa-
tive democracy and that my behavior in the campaign af-
fects the integrity of our society.’’.
Æ