[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 95 (Tuesday, June 25, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H6799]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




PRIVILEGES OF THE HOUSE--INSTRUCTING COMMITTEE ON STANDARDS OF OFFICIAL 
   CONDUCT TO IMMEDIATELY TRANSMIT REMAINING CHARGES AGAINST SPEAKER 
                      GINGRICH TO OUTSIDE COUNSEL

  Mr. JOHNSTON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to rule IX, I hereby 
give notice of my intention to offer a resolution which raises a 
question of the privileges of the House.
  The form of the resolution is as follows:

       Whereas the Constitution of the United States places upon 
     the House of Representatives the responsibility to regulate 
     the conduct of its own Members;
       Whereas the House has delegated that responsibility, in 
     part, to the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, 
     which is charged with investigating alleged violations of any 
     law, rule, regulation or other standard of conduct by a 
     Member of the House;
       Whereas the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct has 
     failed to discharge that duty with regard to serious 
     allegations of wrongdoing by the Speaker of the House;
       Whereas, although an outside counsel has been appointed to 
     investigate the Speaker, the Committee has failed to allow 
     that outside counsel to investigate serious charges 
     concerning the Speaker's political action committee, GOPAC, 
     and its relationship to several tax-exempt organizations;
       Whereas a formal complain concerning these charges has been 
     languishing before the Committee for more than six months;
       Whereas new evidence of violations of federal tax law--in 
     addition to the information contained in the formal 
     complaint--has also been recently reported by investigative 
     journalists around the country;
       Whereas the failure to take action on these matters has 
     raised serious questions about the impartiality of the 
     Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That the Committee on Standards of Official 
     Conduct is hereby instructed to immediately transmit the 
     remaining charges against Speaker Gingrich to the outside 
     counsel for his investigation and recommendations.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under rule IX, a resolution offered from the 
floor by a Member other than the majority leader or the minority leader 
as a question of the privileges of the House has immediate precedence 
only at a time or place designated by the Chair in the legislative 
schedule within 2 legislative days of its being properly noticed. The 
Chair will announce that designation at a later time. In the meantime, 
the form of the resolution proffered by the gentleman from Florida will 
appear in the Record at this point.
  The Chair is not at this point making a determination a to whether 
the resolution constitutes a question of privilege. That determination 
will be made at the time designated by the Chair for consideration of 
the resolution.

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