[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 160 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 160

 Directing the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary 
of the Senate to compile and make available to the public the names of 
candidates for election to the House of Representatives and the Senate 
 who agree to conduct campaigns in accordance with a Code of Election 
                                Ethics.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 26, 1997

 Mr. Baldacci submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
              referred to the Committee on House Oversight

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Directing the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary 
of the Senate to compile and make available to the public the names of 
candidates for election to the House of Representatives and the Senate 
 who agree to conduct campaigns in accordance with a Code of Election 
                                Ethics.

Whereas electoral campaigns throughout the Nation are subject to unacceptable 
        levels of negativism, attack advertising, and other practices which 
        demean representative democracy;
Whereas negative campaigns are directly related to the cynicism, alienation, and 
        decreasing participation rates among American voters;
Whereas all Americans have a stake in positive electoral processes, the 
        centerpiece of civil society;
Whereas each candidate is responsible for fair and ethical practices by or on 
        behalf of the candidate's campaign; and
Whereas the five core values of honesty, respect, responsibility, fairness, and 
        compassion are fundamental to our society and are widely shared 
        throughout the United States: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),

SECTION 1. COMPILATION OF NAMES OF CANDIDATES AGREEING TO FOLLOW CODE 
              OF ELECTION ETHICS.

    The Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the 
Senate shall--
            (1) provide upon request to any candidate for election to 
        the House of Representatives or the Senate (as the case may be) 
        a statement of agreement to conduct the campaign for election 
        for such office in accordance with the Code of Election Ethics 
        described in section 2;
            (2) compile a list of the names of all candidates who sign 
        and return such statement to the Clerk or the Secretary (as the 
        case may be); and
            (3) make such list available upon request to any member of 
        the public.

SEC. 2. CODE OF ELECTION ETHICS DESCRIBED.

    The Code of Election Ethics described in this section reads as 
follows:
    ``My campaign will be committed to the principles of honesty, 
fairness, respect for my opponents, responsibility, and compassion.

                         ``honesty and fairness

    ``I shall emphasize my views, beliefs, and experiences. I am 
committed to an open and public discussion of issues and presenting my 
record with sincerity and frankness.
    ``I shall not use or agree to let third parties use subtle 
deceptions, half-truths, falsifications, or such practices as push 
polling. If such practices are used by third parties without my 
approval, I shall repudiate those practices immediately and publicly 
upon my knowledge of their occurrence.
    ``Factual claims made by my campaign will be supported by publicly 
available documents provided by my campaign office.

                               ``respect

    ``I shall avoid demeaning references to my opponents and demeaning 
visual images of my opponents.
    ``I shall respect my opponents. I shall not use or allow to be used 
personal attacks, innuendo, or stereotyping.

                            ``responsibility

    ``I shall ensure that my campaign staff and campaign supporters 
will observe these principles of fair campaign practices. I take full 
responsibility for all advertising created or used on my behalf by 
staff and supporters.
    ``I shall conduct my campaign openly and publicly, discussing the 
issues as I see them, presenting my record and policies with sincerity 
and frankness, and criticizing without fear and without malice the 
record and policies of my opponents and their political parties that 
merit such criticism.
    ``I will not condone or allow third-party advertising which does 
not meet the principles contained in this document. If such practices 
are used by third parties without my approval, I shall repudiate those 
practices immediately and publicly upon my knowledge of their 
occurrence.

                              ``compassion

    ``In the conduct of my candidacy, I shall show compassion at all 
times for my opponent. I shall remember that the campaign process is 
fundamental to representative democracy and that my behavior in the 
campaign affects the integrity of our society.''.
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