ALTMIRE VOTES FOR HISTORIC CONGRESSIONAL ETHICS REFORMEstablishes independent body to investigate ethics violations |
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(Washington, DC) — U.S. Congressman Jason Altmire (PA-04) today voted for legislation that will strengthen the enforcement of sweeping ethics reforms enacted by Congress last year. This bill (H.R. 895) would require, for the first time in history, that alleged ethics violations be reviewed by an independent group of individuals who are not members of Congress. This legislation passed by a vote of 229-182. “Today, we continued to uphold our promise to be the most ethical Congress in history by establishing a fully independent panel to investigate allegations against members of Congress,” Altmire said. “Now, for the first time, members of the American public will be the ones who determine whether claims of misconduct have any merit. Establishing this new Office of Congressional Ethics will make the ethics review process more transparent than ever before and will go a long way toward ensuring that unethical behavior by members of Congress is not swept under the rug.” The new Office of Congressional Ethics established by this legislation will be a bipartisan, independent panel comprised of six individuals appointed jointly by the House Speaker and the House Minority Leader. One member from each party must vote to launch an investigation in order to initiate an ethics review. This ensures investigations will not be instigated for political reasons. After the preliminary review, if three members on the panel agree that the investigation should move forward, the matter will be referred to the House Ethics Committee. The bill was endorsed by public interest groups, including Common Cause, U.S. PIRG, and Democracy 21. # # # |