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Congressman Cohen Backs Congressional Ethics Reform

March 12, 2008


“One of the most important reasons that I came to Congress was to fight against the culture of corruption in Washington,” said Congressman Cohen. “Last year, we passed the strongest ethics and lobbying reforms since the Watergate era in 2007, and now we have taken another step to allow an independent review of alleged ethics violations. For the first time in history, private citizens will ensure that credible allegations of wrongdoing by Members of Congress are examined by the House Ethics Committee.”

The new House Rule creates the Office of Congressional Ethics, which will be comprised of six individuals appointed jointly by the Speaker and the Minority Leader. Current Members of Congress and lobbyists would not be eligible to serve on the panel.

“While many in Congress have railed against the idea of an independent ethics board, I’m fighting to change Washington,” Congressman Cohen added. “I’ve never supported the politics of the status quo and I will continue to fight, as I have throughout my 30 years in public service, for transparency in government. Americans can have confidence in their government only if the system is open and accountable, not if their representatives opt to continue business as usual.”

The independent panel will have the power to initiate investigations of Members of Congress when it deems appropriate. Investigations must be supported by a Democratic and Republican member of the panel. At the conclusion of an investigation, the panel would report its findings to the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct (Ethics Committee) and recommend whether the committee should review the allegations.

Nationally respected, independent, non-partisan organizations including Common Cause, U.S. PIRG, the American Enterprise Institute and the Brookings Institution support this reform.

The new rules follow the enactment of The Honest Leadership, Open Government Act, which brought unprecedented transparency to lobbyists’ activities and was hailed by reform groups as a “sea change for citizens” and “landmark reform.”

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Contact:
Marilyn Dillihay, Press Secretary, (202) 225-3265/ (202) 368-9275 (mobile)
Charlie Gerber, Communications Assistant, (202) 225-3265 / (202) 320-2817 (mobile)