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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representatives Marion Berry (AR-01), Vic Snyder (AR- 02), and Mike Ross (AR-04) affirmed their commitment to ethics oversight by backing congressional ethics reforms that will establish an Office of Congressional Ethics and help hold members accountable for their actions. Last night, Snyder, Ross and Berry joined 196 Democrats and 33 Republicans to pass the vote. The new House Rule was approved by a vote of 229 to 182 and does not require Senate consideration.
“Our job as Members of Congress is to serve our constituents to the best of our ability and that mission should always be the number one priority,” said Congressman Berry. “With the landmark ethics reforms we passed earlier this session in addition to our new bill, this Congress has made tremendous progress in restoring faith in our institution. The American people, not special interests, should always come first.”
“Public office is a public trust,” said Congressman Snyder. “This strong bipartisan vote indicates the support for increasing the accountability and standard of conduct for House members.”
“I am strongly committed to bringing real and meaningful ethics reform to Washington by making Congress more accountable to the American people,” said Ross. “I am proud of the steps we have taken in the 110th Congress to ensure honesty, transparency and accountability in our nation’s Capitol, and this legislation will help strengthen our approach to reform our ethics laws and clean up the mess in Washington, D.C.”
The Office of Congressional Ethics 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 board.
The Congressional Ethics board has the authority to open investigations of Members of Congress when appropriate. Investigations could only be started if supported by a Democratic or Republican board member. 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 further explore the allegations.
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