To establish the Office of Public Integrity as an independent office within the legislative branch of the Government, to reduce the duties of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct of the House of Representatives and the Select Committee on Ethics of the Senate, and for other purposes.

Bill: 110-hr-422
Sponsor: Rep. Meehan, Martin T. [D-MA-5]
Introduced: 2007-01-11 in the House
Policy area: Congress
Subjects: Congressional agencies
Congressional committees (House)
Congressional committees (Senate)
Congressional employees
Congressional ethics
Congressional information resources
Congressional investigations
Congressional officers
Congressional publicity
Congressional reorganization
Congressional reporting requirements
Congressional voting
Congressional witnesses
Crime and Law Enforcement
Criminal justice information
Data banks
Electronic data interchange
Electronic government information
Evidence (Law)
Financial disclosure
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
House Standards of Official Conduct
House rules and procedure
Law
Legal fees
Lobbying
Members of Congress
Misconduct in office
Record votes
Science, Technology, Communications
Senate Ethics
Senate rules and procedure

Summary:
action_date: 2007-01-11
text: 
Establishes as an independent office within the legislative branch the Office of Public Integrity to: (1) oversee financial disclosure and other reports filed by Members of Congress, congressional officers and employees, and registered lobbyists; (2) investigate alleged violations of any applicable rule or other standard of conduct; (3) present a case of probable ethics violations to the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct or the Senate Select Committee on Ethics (ethics committees); and (4) make recommendations about reporting to the appropriate federal or state authorities any substantial evidence of a violation.
 
Amends Rule XI (Procedures of Committees and Unfinished Business) and Rule X (Organization of Committees) of the Rules of the House of Representatives, as well as the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (EGA of 1978), the Ethics Reform Act of 1989, and the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (LDA), to conform to this Act.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2007-01-11
text: Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on Rules, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-01-11
text: Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on Rules, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-01-11
text: Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on Rules, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-01-11
text: Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on Rules, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-01-11
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2007-01-11
text: Introduced in House