To amend the Rules of the House of Representatives to establish a Citizens' Commission on Congressional Ethics, and for other purposes.

Summary

Amends the Rules of the House of Representatives to add rule LIV establishing the Citizens' Commission on Congressional Ethics. Makes the following individuals ineligible to serve on the Commission: (1) a Member of Congress or a relative of a Member; (2) an officer or employee of any government; or (3) a person registered under the Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act or the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, or who has been such an individual during the five-year period ending on the date such member's term on the Commission would have begun. Authorizes the Commission to: (1) recommend, periodically, to the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct such administrative actions as it deems appropriate to establish or enforce standards of official conduct for Members, officers, and employees of the House; (2) investigate any alleged violation of the Code of Official Conduct or of any law, rule, regulation or other standard of conduct by a Member, officer, or employee of the House in the performance of his or her duties or the discharge of responsibilities and to submit a written recommendation to the Committee on appropriate action; and (3) report to the appropriate Federal or State authorities, with the approval of the House, any substantial evidence of such violation which may have been disclosed in an investigation by the Commission or the Inspector General. Prohibits the Commission from making a report or recommendation relating to the official conduct of a Member, officer, or employee or investigating such conduct without approval by an affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the Commission. Amends rule LIII to revise the duties of the Inspector General of the House of Representatives to include: (1) responsibilities for audits and investigations of the financial operations of the House; (2) activities to promote economy and efficiency of, and to detect and prevent fraud and abuse in, such operations; (3) notifying the Commission of such fraud or abuse and of violations of standards of conduct by Members, officers, or employees of the House; and (4) having printed a House document setting forth summaries of such audits, notifications, and related recommendations. Amends rule X to eliminate the duties of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct relating to recommendations, studies, investigations, reports, and functions designated by the Ethics in Government Act of 1978. Requires the Committee to: (1) transmit to the House, by resolution or otherwise, any recommendation submitted to it by the Commission; and (2) give consideration to the request of any Member, officer, or employee of the House for an advisory opinion with respect to the general propriety of any current or proposed conduct of such individual with appropriate deletions to assure the privacy of the individual concerned and to publish such opinion for the guidance of other Members, officers, and employees of the House. Prohibits an advisory opinion from being made by the Committee relating to the official conduct of a Member, officer, or employee of the House, unless approved by the affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the Commission. Amends rule XLIV to require statutory financial disclosure reports for certain Federal personnel to be filed with the Citizens' Commission on Congressional Ethics instead of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.

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2 official files

• Introduced in House (text)

  Introduced in House · EN

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• Introduced in House

  summary · EN · 21 May 1992

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