IV 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 1018 
Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to establish the House 
Ethics Commission. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 4, 2008 
Mr. HILL (for himself, Mr. WAMP, Mr. BOYD of Florida, Mr. MOORE of Kan-
sas, Mr. MATHESON, Mr. DONNELLY, Mr. MELANCON, Mr. MAHONEY of 
Florida, Mr. SULLIVAN, Mr. KINGSTON, Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky, Mr. 
SMITH of New Jersey, and Mr. GOODE) submitted the following resolu-
tion; which was referred to the Committee on Rules 
RESOLUTION 
Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to 
establish the House Ethics Commission. 
Resolved, 
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE HOUSE ETHICS COMMISSION 
SECTION 1. The Rules of the House of Representa-
tives are amended by redesignating rules XXVII and 
XXVIII as rules XXVIII and XXIX, respectively, and by 
inserting after rule XXVI the following new rule: 
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•HRES 1018 IH 
‘‘RULE XXVII 
‘‘HOUSE ETHICS COMMISSION 
‘‘1. There is established in the House an independent 
commission to be known as the House Ethics Commission 
(hereinafter in this rule referred to as the ‘Commission’). 
‘‘2. (a) The Commission shall consist of 12 individ-
uals. Three current Democratic Members and three 
former Democratic Members shall be appointed by the Re-
publican leader and three current Republican Members 
and three former Republican Members by the Democratic 
leader. Except as provided by paragraph (b), the terms 
of all members of the Commission shall be two years and 
no member may serve for more than six years. 
‘‘(b) Of the members first appointed— 
‘‘(1) two appointed by each leader shall be for 
a term of two years; 
‘‘(2) two appointed by each leader shall be for 
a term of four years; and 
‘‘(3) two appointed by each leader shall be for 
a term of six years; 
as designated by each such leader at the time of appoint-
ment. 
‘‘(c) The chairman and the vice chairman of the Com-
mission shall be selected by the members of the Commis-
sion at its first meeting. No member may serve for more 
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•HRES 1018 IH 
than one two-year term as chairman and no member may 
serve for more than one two-year term as vice chairman. 
‘‘(d)(1) Only former and current Members of the 
House shall be eligible for appointment to the Commis-
sion. 
‘‘(2)(A) No individual who has been a lobbyist reg-
istered under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 or en-
gages in, or is otherwise employed in, lobbying of the Con-
gress or who is an agent of a foreign principal registered 
under the Foreign Agents Registration Act within the 
four-year period immediately preceding appointment shall 
be eligible for appointment to, or service on, the Commis-
sion. 
‘‘(B) Except as provided by subparagraph (a), no 
member of the Commission may be an elected public offi-
cial or an officer or employee of the Government. 
‘‘(3) A vacancy on the Commission shall be filled in 
the manner in which the original appointment was made. 
‘‘(e) Members shall each be entitled to receive the 
daily equivalent of the maximum annual rate of basic pay 
in effect for Level III of the Executive Schedule for each 
day (including travel time) during which they are engaged 
in the actual performance of duties vested in the Commis-
sion. 
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•HRES 1018 IH 
‘‘(f) A majority of the members of the Commission 
shall constitute a quorum. 
‘‘(g) The Commission shall meet at the call of the 
chairman or a majority of its members. 
‘‘3. The Commission is authorized— 
‘‘(1) to investigate any alleged violation, by a 
Member, officer, or employee of the House, of any 
law, rule, regulation, or other standard of conduct 
applicable to the conduct of such Member, officer, or 
employee in the performance of his duties or the dis-
charge of his responsibilities, and after notice and 
hearing (unless the right to a hearing is waived by 
the Member, officer, or employee), shall report to 
the House its findings of fact and recommendations, 
if any, upon the final disposition of any such inves-
tigation, and such action as the Commission may 
deem appropriate in the circumstances; 
‘‘(2) to issue any letter of reproval or admon-
ishment with respect to such an alleged violation; 
‘‘(3) to report to the appropriate Federal or 
State authorities any substantial evidence of a viola-
tion, by a Member, officer, or employee of the 
House, of any law applicable to the performance of 
his duties or the discharge of his responsibilities, 
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