[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 48 (Wednesday, March 15, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H3161]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                MORE ON THE ETHICS PROBLEMS OF THE HOUSE

  (Mr. PETERSON of Florida asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PETERSON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is a great honor to serve in 
the people's House. Here, every Member is equal and directly 
responsible to his or her constituents to represent them at the 
national level.
  To ensure that we each focus on constituent representation rather 
than our own or special interests, numerous ethics rules have been 
established to govern our conduct in carrying out our duties.
  For instance: We cannot accept any outside earned income nor can we 
accept honoraria; we are prohibited from seeking special favors for 
ourselves from governmental agencies; and nor can we accept any funding 
from a corporation or person for representing their specific interest 
before a governmental agency.
  Well, Mr. Speaker, given all of these very precise rules--it bothers 
me deeply that virtually every day a new allegation is reported in the 
news related to your multiple relationships with so-called think tanks, 
persons, and corporations that suggest a violation of the House ethics 
rules.
  These allegations have the potential to discredit every Member of 
this House. Let us clear the air. I ask you to call for an outside 
counsel to investigate these allegations to clear your name and to lift 
the cloud over this House and to ensure no harm is done to the good 
reputations of all of the Members of this institution.

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