H. Res. 168
In the House of Representatives, U.S.,
September 18, 1997.
Resolved,
SECTION 1. USE OF NON-COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
(a) RULES AMENDMENT.—Clause 6(a) of rule X of the
Rules of the House of Representatives is amended by adding
at the end the following new subparagraph:
‘‘(3)(A) At the beginning of each Congress—
‘‘(i) the Speaker (or his designee) shall designate a
list of 10 Members from the majority party; and
‘‘(ii) the minority leader (or his designee) shall des-
ignate a list of 10 Members from the minority party;
who are not members of the Committee on Standards of Offi-
cial Conduct and who may be assigned to serve as a member
of an investigative subcommittee of that committee during
that Congress. Members so chosen shall be announced to the
House.
‘‘(B) Whenever the chairman and ranking minority
member of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct
jointly determine that Members designated under subdivision
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(A) should be assigned to serve on an investigative sub-
committee of that committee, they shall each select the same
number of Members of his respective party from the list to
serve on that subcommittee.’’.
(b) 
CONFORMING
RULES
AMENDMENT.—Clause
6(b)(2)(A) of rule X of the Rules of the House of Represent-
atives is amended by inserting after the first sentence the fol-
lowing new sentence: ‘‘Service on an investigative subcommit-
tee of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct pursu-
ant to paragraph (a)(3) shall not be counted against the limi-
tation on subcommittee service.’’.
SEC. 2. DURATION OF SERVICE ON THE COMMITTEE ON STAND-
ARDS OF OFFICIAL CONDUCT.
The second sentence of clause 6(a)(2) of rule X of the
Rules of the House of Representatives is amended to read as
follows: ‘‘No Member shall serve as a member of the Commit-
tee on Standards of Official Conduct for more than two Con-
gresses in any period of three successive Congresses (dis-
regarding for this purpose any service performed as a mem-
ber of such committee for less than a full session in any Con-
gress), except that a Member having served on the committee
for two Congresses shall be eligible for election to the com-
mittee as chairman or ranking minority member for one addi-
tional Congress. Not less than two Members from each party
shall rotate off the committee at the end of each Congress.’’.
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SEC. 3. COMMITTEE AGENDAS.
The Committee on Standards of Official Conduct shall
adopt rules providing that the chairman shall establish the
agenda for meetings of the committee, but shall not preclude
the ranking minority member from placing any item on the
agenda.
SEC. 4. COMMITTEE STAFF.
(a) COMMITTEE RULES.—The Committee on Standards
of Official Conduct shall adopt rules providing that:
(1)(A) The staff is to be assembled and retained as
a professional, nonpartisan staff.
(B) Each member of the staff shall be professional
and demonstrably qualified for the position for which he
is hired.
(C) The staff as a whole and each member of the
staff shall perform all official duties in a nonpartisan
manner.
(D) No member of the staff shall engage in any
partisan political activity directly affecting any congres-
sional or presidential election.
(E) No member of the staff or outside counsel may
accept public speaking engagements or write for publica-
tion on any subject that is in any way related to his or
her employment or duties with the committee without
specific prior approval from the chairman and ranking
minority member.
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(F) No member of the staff or outside counsel may
make public, unless approved by an affirmative vote of
a majority of the members of the committee, any infor-
mation, document, or other material that is confidential,
derived from executive session, or classified and that is
obtained during the course of employment with the com-
mittee.
(2)(A) All staff members shall be appointed by an
affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the
committee. Such vote shall occur at the first meeting of
the membership of the committee during each Congress
and as necessary during the Congress.
(B) Subject to the approval of Committee on House
Oversight, the committee may retain counsel not em-
ployed by the House of Representatives whenever the
committee determines, by an affirmative vote of a major-
ity of the members of the committee, that the retention
of outside counsel is necessary and appropriate.
(C) If the committee determines that it is necessary
to retain staff members for the purpose of a particular
investigation or other proceeding, then such staff shall
be retained only for the duration of that particular in-
vestigation or proceeding.
(3) Outside counsel may be dismissed prior to the
end of a contract between the committee and such coun-
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sel only by an affirmative vote of a majority of the mem-
bers of the committee.
(4) Only subparagraphs (C), (E), and (F) of para-
graph (1) shall apply to shared staff.
(b) ADDITIONAL COMMITTEE STAFF.—In addition to
any other staff provided for by law, rule, or other authority,
with respect to the Committee on Standards of Official Con-
duct, the chairman and ranking minority member each may
appoint one individual as a shared staff member from his or
her personal staff to perform service for the committee. Such
shared staff may assist the chairman or ranking minority
member on any subcommittee on which he serves.
SEC. 5. MEETINGS AND HEARINGS.
(a) HOUSE RULES.—(1) Clause 4(e)(3) of rule X of the
Rules of the House of Representatives is amended to read as
follows:
‘‘(3)(A) Notwithstanding clause 2(g)(1) of rule XI, each
meeting of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct
or any subcommittee thereof shall occur in executive session,
unless the committee or subcommittee by an affirmative vote
of a majority of its members opens the meeting to the public.
‘‘(B) Notwithstanding clause 2(g)(2) of rule XI, hear-
ings of an adjudicatory subcommittee or sanction hearings
held by the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct shall
be held in open session unless the subcommittee or commit-
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tee, in open session by an affirmative vote of a majority of
its members, closes all or part of the remainder of the hear-
ing on that day to the public.’’.
(2)(A) The first sentence of clause 2(g)(1) of rule XI of
the Rules of the House of Representatives is amended by in-
serting ‘‘(except the Committee on Standards of Official Con-
duct)’’ after ‘‘thereof’’.
(B) The first sentence of clause 2(g)(2) of rule XI of the
Rules of the House of Representatives is amended by insert-
ing ‘‘(except the Committee on Standards of Official Con-
duct)’’ after ‘‘thereof’’.
(b) COMMITTEE RULES.—The Committee on Standards
of Official Conduct shall adopt rules providing that—
(1) all meetings of the committee or any sub-
committee thereof shall occur in executive session unless
the committee or subcommittee by an affirmative vote of
a majority of its members opens the meeting or hearing
to the public; and
(2) any hearing held by an adjudicatory subcommit-
tee or any sanction hearing held by the committee shall
be open to the public unless the committee or sub-
committee by an affirmative vote of a majority of its
members closes the hearing to the public.
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SEC. 6. CONFIDENTIALITY OATHS.
Clause 4(e) of rule X of the Rules of the House of Rep-
resentatives is amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(4) Before any member, officer, or employee of the
Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, including mem-
bers of any subcommittee of the committee selected pursuant
to clause 6(a)(3) and shared staff, may have access to infor-
mation 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 Stand-
ards of Official Conduct, any information received in the
course of my service with the committee, except as au-
thorized by the committee or in accordance with its
rules.’
Copies of the executed oath shall be retained by the Clerk of
the House as part of the records of the House. This subpara-
graph establishes a standard of conduct within the meaning
of subparagraph (1)(B). Breaches of confidentiality shall be
investigated by the Committee on Standards of Official Con-
duct and appropriate action shall be taken.’’.
SEC. 7. PUBLIC DISCLOSURE.
The Committee on Standards of Official Conduct shall
adopt rules providing that, unless otherwise determined by a
vote of the committee, only the chairman or ranking minority
member, after consultation with each other, may make public
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statements regarding matters before the committee or any
subcommittee thereof.
SEC. 8. CONFIDENTIALITY OF COMMITTEE VOTES.
(a) RECORDS.—The last sentence in clause 2(e)(1) of
rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives is
amended by adding before the period at the end the follow-
ing: ‘‘, except that in the case of rollcall votes in the Commit-
tee on Standards of Official Conduct taken in executive ses-
sion, the result of any such vote shall not be made available
for inspection by the public without an affirmative vote of a
majority of the members of the committee’’.
(b) REPORTS.—Clause 2(l)(2)(B) of rule XI of the Rules
of the House of Representatives is amended by adding at the
end the following new sentence: ‘‘The preceding sentence
shall not apply to votes taken in executive session by the
Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.’’.
SEC. 9. FILINGS BY NON-MEMBERS OF INFORMATION OFFERED
AS A COMPLAINT.
(a) 
FILINGS
SPONSORED
BY
MEMBERS.—Clause
4(e)(2)(B) of rule X of the Rules of the House of Representa-
tives is amended by striking ‘‘or submitted to’’, by striking
‘‘a complaint’’ and inserting ‘‘information offered as a com-
plaint’’, and by amending clause (ii) to read as follows:
‘‘(ii) upon receipt of information offered as a com-
plaint, in writing and under oath, from an individual not