FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 15, 2005

CONTACT: Brendan Daly/Jennifer Crider 202-226-7616

Pelosi: 'Today, Republicans Dealt a Blow to Ethical Standards of the House'

Washington, D.C. -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on the privileged resolution on ethics that she introduced on the House floor. The resolution asked the Speaker to create a bipartisan task force to make recommendations to restore public confidence in the ethics process. The Republicans moved to table, or kill the resolution, without debate. Only one Republican, Rep. Joel Hefley of Colorado, former Chairman of the Ethics Committee who was purged from the committee last month, joined all Democrats in voting against the motion to table. Below is Pelosi's statement:

"Today, the Republicans dealt a blow to the ethical standards of the House by voting to declare their allegiance to the ethical standards of Tom DeLay.

"This resolution, however, was not about the Majority Leader personally, but about the ethics rules that have been gutted to protect him. Until now, there had always been a strong bipartisan effort on the Ethics Committee to uphold a high ethical standard in the House. But this year, the ethics rules were written solely by the Republican leadership, to protect one Member.

"That is unacceptable and Democrats will not take part in a fraudulent ethics process. We must restore the integrity of the ethics process and regain the confidence of the American people."

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RESOLUTION RAISING A QUESTION OF THE PRIVILEGES

OF THE HOUSE

WHEREAS, the Constitution of the United States authorizes the House of Representatives to “determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member”;

WHEREAS, in 1968, in compliance with this authority and to uphold its integrity and ensure that Members act in a manner that reflects credit on the House of Representatives, the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct was established;

WHEREAS, the ethics procedures in effect during the 108th Congress, and in the three preceding Congresses, were enacted in 1997 in a bipartisan manner by an overwhelming vote of the House of Representatives upon the bipartisan recommendation of the ten-member Ethics Reform Task Force, which conducted a thorough and lengthy review of the entire ethics process;

WHEREAS, in the 109th Congress, for the first time in the history of the House of Representatives, decisions affecting the ethics process have been made on a partisan basis without consulting the Democratic Members of the Committee or of the House;

WHEREAS, the Chairman of the Committee, and two of his Republican colleagues, were dismissed from the Committee;

WHEREAS, in a statement to the press, the departing Chairman of the Committee stated “[t]here is a bad perception out there that there was a purge in the Committee and that people were put in that would protect our side of the aisle better than I did,” and a replaced Republican Member, also in a statement to the press, referring to his dismissal from the Committee, noted his belief that “the decision was a direct result of our work in the last session;”

WHEREAS, the newly appointed Chairman of the Committee improperly and unilaterally fired non-partisan Committee staff who assisted in the ethics work in the last session;

WHEREAS, these actions have subjected the Committee to public ridicule, produced contempt for the ethics process, created the public perception that their purpose was to protect a Member of the House, and weakened the ability of the Committee to adequately obtain information and properly conduct its investigative duties, all of which has brought discredit to the House; now be it

RESOLVED, that the Speaker shall appoint a bi-partisan task force with equal representation of the majority and minority parties to make recommendations to restore public confidence in the ethics process; and be it further

RESOLVED, that the task force report its findings and recommendations to the House of Representatives no later than May 2, 2005.

“ Democrats are united in presenting a New Direction for America, one that will make our nation as strong as its people, one that brings opportunity, security, and prosperity to all Americans. ”

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi