Office of Congressional Ethics is a Win for Hodes’s Cause
ETHICS
Union Leader
Matt Negrin
Boston University Washington News Service
27 March 2008
WASHINGTON — Before he was elected to Congress, Democrat Paul Hodes ran on a message of wanting to rid Capitol Hill of corrupt politics. More than a year into his first term in the House, Hodes has acted on that message and helped pass a resolution that will create an independent panel to investigate actions of House members.
It will be the first time non-members will get to review misconduct of those who make up Congress. Hodes spoke in favor of establishing the office before Congress took a two-week recess in mid-March. He said it represents “another step that the Democrats have taken to clean up Washington.”
The new Office of Congressional Ethics, slated to be functional in July, will include three members appointed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and three by Minority Leader John Boehner. None may be current House members, federal employees or lobbyists.
The resolution was passed the night of March 11 as Democrats, led by Pelosi, scrambled for just enough votes to win on a parliamentary procedure allowing them to avoid Republicans’ efforts to thwart the proposal. The final vote was 229-182, as several GOP members threw their support behind the Democrats so they would not appear to have opposed an ethics office come Election Day.
Hodes, a former prosecutor, had asked Rep. Michael Capuano, D-Mass., the legislation’s sponsor, to give the panel the ability to issue subpoenas, but his request was denied. Hodes argued it would strengthen the authority of the panel, which will make recommendations to an already-established House Ethics Committee, which has subpoena power.
“We didn’t believe that the power was necessary,” said Capuano, the chairman of a task force that considered the new office’s creation. He said the House may consider adding the power after reviewing the panel’s actions in about a year.
Both Capuano and Hodes said the members of the new panel could include former House members (who must be out of Congress one year before being eligible to serve), professors of law or politics and current and retired judges.
“The important factors are experience with the realities of political life, ability to understand the ethical rules and the landscape on Capitol Hill, and fairness and objectivity,” Hodes said.
Ethics in Washington has long been a lightning rod for critics who say some of the country’s elected officials are corrupt. Recent investigations have involved former Majority Leader Tom DeLay, former GOP Rep. Mark Foley and Democratic Rep. Alan Mollohan, once the senior Democrat on the Ethics Committee.
Nearly two dozen current members of Congress are under investigation for charges that range from roles in the firings of U.S. attorneys to ties to Jack Abramoff, the convicted lobbyist and businessman.
“We need to show the American people that we are serious about cleaning up Washington,” Hodes said. “An outside ethics panel is a good step in doing that.”
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