I
104TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 251
To amend the Ethics Reform Act of 1989 to prevent any action to dissolve,
diminish the scope of the mission of, or limit the activities of, the
House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct during certain inves-
tigations.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 4, 1995
Mr. GUTIERREZ introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Rules
A BILL
To amend the Ethics Reform Act of 1989 to prevent any
action to dissolve, diminish the scope of the mission
of, or limit the activities of, the House Committee on
Standards of Official Conduct during certain investiga-
tions.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘House Ethics Protec-
tion Act of 1995’’.
SEC. 2. COMMITTEE ON STANDARDS OF OFFICIAL CON-
DUCT OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Section 29d(b) of the Ethics Reform Act of 1989 (2
U.S.C. 29d(b)) is amended by striking subsection (b) and
inserting the following:
‘‘(b) STRUCTURE
AND COMPOSITION
OF COMMIT-
TEE.—
‘‘(1) COMMITTEE
COMPOSITION.—The respec-
tive party caucus or conference of the House of Rep-
resentatives shall each nominate to the House of
Representatives at the beginning of each Congress
seven members to serve on the Committee on Stand-
ards of Official Conduct.
‘‘(2) STRUCTURAL CHANGES TO COMMITTEE ON
STANDARDS
OF
OFFICIAL
CONDUCT
PROHIBITED
DURING CERTAIN INVESTIGATIONS.—If any member
who was the subject of an investigation during the
previous Congress also serves in the current Con-
gress, the following actions are prohibited:
‘‘(A) action to disband the Committee on
Standards of Official Conduct;
‘‘(B) action to shift jurisdiction of the
Committee on Standards of Official Conduct to
any other committee;
‘‘(C) action to combine the Committee on
Standards of Official Conduct with any other
committee or subcommittee;
‘‘(D) action making the Committee on
Standards of Official Conduct a subcommittee;
‘‘(E) action to change the number of mem-
bers nominated by either party caucus to the
committee.
‘‘(3) RECUSAL
OF
CERTAIN
MEMBERS.—A
member of the House of Representatives shall not
participate in the procedure nominating members to
the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct if
the member was a subject of an investigation by the
Committee on Standards of Official Conduct during
the current or previous session of Congress.
‘‘(4) LIMITS ON POWER OF THE SPEAKER OF
THE
HOUSE
OF
REPRESENTATIVES
TO
APPOINT
MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE ON STANDARDS OF
OFFICIAL
CONDUCT.—The Speaker of the House
may not take any action or exercise any power re-
garding the appointment of members to the Commit-
tee on Standards of Official Conduct if the member
who is Speaker is or has been the subject of an in-
vestigation by the Committee during the current or
previous session of Congress.’’.
SEC. 3. INVESTIGATIONS BY PREVIOUS CONGRESS.
Section 29d of the Ethics Reform Act of 1989 (2
U.S.C. 29d) is further amended by adding at the end the
following:
‘‘(k) REPORT
AND RECOMMENDATIONS
ON POST-
PONED INVESTIGATIONS.—
‘‘(1) REPORT.—Within 30 days after the later
of the date on which a new session of Congress as-
sembles or the date of the enactment of this Act, the
Committee on Standards of Official Conduct shall
report to the House on each investigation conducted
and matter heard by the Committee on Standards of
Official Conduct during the previous Congress for
which final action was postponed or otherwise left
unresolved.
‘‘(2) CONTENT OF REPORT.—Each report shall
include recommendations for further hearings, inves-
tigation, and potential reproval or other administra-
tive action.
‘‘(3) ORDER OF REPORTS.—If more than one
member of the current Congress was investigated by
the previous Congress, the Committee on Standards
of Official Conduct shall submit reports in the order
in which the members of the current Congress took
the oath of office pursuant to section 30 of the Re-
vised Statutes of the United States (2 U.S.C. 25).
‘‘(l) INVESTIGATION DEFINED.—For purposes of this
Act, a member of Congress is deemed a subject of an in-
vestigation during the previous Congress if during the pre-
vious session of Congress the Committee on Standards of
Official Conduct solicited material or information in re-
sponse to a complaint filed against the member, or if the
Committee on Standards of Official Conduct held one or
more sessions to examine or discuss any findings regard-
ing a complaint filed against a member.’’.
Æ