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 re-
signed from the House; 
Whereas numerous newspapers and other media organiza-
tions 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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HRES 1164 IH 
been made against Mr. Massa. Mr. Hoyer’s staff imme-
diately informed him of what they had been told’’; 
Whereas, on Thursday, March 4, Roll Call newspaper re-
ported, ‘‘Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she only learned 
Wednesday of misconduct allegations against freshman 
Rep. Eric Massa, though her staff had learned of it ear-
lier 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 Oc-
tober 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 individ-
uals 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 al-
legations of sexual harassment may have exposed employ-
ees 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 em-
ployee 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 
Resolved, That— 
(1) the Committee on Standards of Official 
Conduct is directed to investigate fully, pursuant to 
clause 3(a)(2) of the House Rule XI, which House 
Democratic leaders and members of their respective 
staffs had knowledge prior to March 3, 2010, of the 
aforementioned allegations concerning Mr. Massa, 
and what actions each leader and staffer having any 
such knowledge took after learning of the allega-
tions; 
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(2) within ten days following adoption of this 
resolution, and pursuant to Committee on Standards 
of Official Conduct rule 19, the committee shall es-
tablish an Investigative Subcommittee in the afore-
mentioned matter, or report to the House no later 
than the final day of that period the reasons for its 
failure to do so; 
(3) all members and staff are instructed to co-
operate fully in the committee’s investigation and to 
preserve all records, electronic or otherwise, that 
may bear on the subject of this investigation; 
(4) the Chief Administrative Officer shall imme-
diately take all steps necessary to secure and prevent 
the alteration or deletion of any e-mails, text mes-
sages, voicemails, and other electronic records resi-
dent on House equipment that have been sent or re-
ceived by the Members and staff who are the sub-
jects of the investigation authorized under this reso-
lution until advised by the Committee on Standards 
of Official Conduct that it has no need of any por-
tion of said records; and 
(5) the Committee shall issue a final report of 
its findings and recommendations in this matter no 
later than June 30, 2010. 
Æ 
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