[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 911 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 911

    Requesting the Attorney General to appoint a special counsel to 
       investigate allegations regarding the organization ACORN.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 18, 2009

 Mr. Ehlers submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                     the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    Requesting the Attorney General to appoint a special counsel to 
       investigate allegations regarding the organization ACORN.

Whereas the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) has 
        received taxpayer money through executive agencies;
Whereas ACORN is under investigation by several States attorneys general and 
        Inspector Generals at the Department of Justice and the Department of 
        the Treasury for allegations including, but not limited to, voter fraud, 
        the illegal use of Federal funds for political activities, tax fraud 
        and/or tax evasion, and promotion of criminal activity;
Whereas, as elected officials, Members of the House of Representatives and the 
        Senate have a responsibility to ensure taxpayer monies are spent 
        honestly and legally;
Whereas, on October 30, 2009, the Department of the Interior, Environment, and 
        Related Appropriations Act, 2010 (Public Law 111-88), banned Federal 
        funding of ACORN until December 18, 2009;
Whereas if Congress does not specifically act to continue the ban to deny 
        Federal monies to ACORN, this entity could be eligible for additional 
        Federal monies;
Whereas if Federal monies are being spent dishonestly and illegally, additional 
        Federal funds should not be awarded or distributed to ACORN;
Whereas there has not been a cohesive approach to investigating these 
        allegations;
Whereas a special counsel should be appointed to investigate, in a cohesive 
        manner, the allegations that Federal monies are possibly being used 
        illegally by ACORN or any of its affiliates, both formal and informal, 
        including all subsidiaries and entities controlled by ACORN;
Whereas a special counsel should also investigate ACORN's relationship with all 
        allied organizations and any individual or organization that has been 
        complicit in the criminal activity of ACORN and its employees;
Whereas President Obama and the Department of Justice have not appointed a 
        special counsel to investigate these allegations;
Whereas under regulations promulgated by the Department of Justice in June 1999, 
        the Attorney General may name such a counsel when it would be ``in the 
        public interest'' to name such a counsel; and
Whereas it is in the public interest for the American people to know if their 
        taxpayer money is being spent in accordance with the law: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives requests the United 
States Attorney General--
            (1) to appoint a Special Counsel to--
                    (A) investigate the Association of Community 
                Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) and all of its 
                affiliates, both formal and informal, including all 
                subsidiaries and entities controlled by ACORN; and
                    (B) investigate ACORN's relationship with all 
                allied organizations and any individual or organization 
                that has been complicit in the criminal activity of 
                ACORN and its employees; and
            (2) to report to Congress on the results of that 
        investigation.
                                 <all>