Rep. Fossella Votes to Strengthen House Ethics Rules

Fossella One of 33 Republicans Who Voted to Create Independent Office
to Ensure Members Are Held to the Highest Ethical Standards

[Washington, DC] – In an effort to strengthen House ethics rules, Congressman Vito Fossella voted last night to create, for the first time ever, an independent office to review complaints against Members. Fossella was one of only 33 Republicans to support the measure.

The Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) would be composed of six members, appointed equally by the Speaker and Minority Leader, who would be charged with conducting reviews of possible misconduct by House members, including investigations. The Office would forward its findings to the House Ethics Committee for follow-up action. Members of Congress, federal employees and lobbyists would be prohibited from serving as a member of the OCE.

Fossella said, “This effort is intended to bring more accountability to the enforcement of ethics rules and enhance faith and trust in our government. The American people must have confidence that their government is working for them -- not the other way around. It is unfortunate that Democrats seemingly broke their own rules to pass this bill and refused to work with Republicans to develop a bipartisan plan. While this legislation is far from perfect, it represents a step forward in reforming the current procedures. I have expressed my concern that outsourcing the enforcement of House rules could lead to political manipulation and partisan investigations. We need to keep a careful eye on the operation of this new office and, if its powers are misused or abused, we must act to further reform the process of enforcing House rules.”

House Democrats have come under criticism last night and today for holding the 15-minute vote open a total of 31 minutes to prevent the measure from being defeated.

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