[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 130 (Thursday, September 19, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H10604]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                ETHICS COMMITTEE PROCESS IS DEGENERATING

  (Mr. FAZIO of California asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FAZIO of California. Mr. Speaker, I want to talk today about a 
process that lies at the heart of this House's reputation, the Ethics 
Committee process.
  Its strength historically has been the ability of Democrats and 
Republicans to separate nuisance complaints from substantive charges 
important to the reputation of this House and to pursue such matters 
with diligence no matter where that takes it.
  As a former member of the Ethics Committee, 8 years as a matter of 
fact, I cast some of the toughest votes of my congressional career, 
just as many others who have served on the Ethics Committee have done 
on a bipartisan basis. We cast them because we believe the reputation 
of this House is more important than any Member. I underline any 
Member.
  I believe this Republican-controlled House has done tremendous damage 
to an already fragile process. The evidence: A year-long delay in 
appointing a special counsel in a case involving the leadership; the 
GOP leadership's initial refusal last December to even grant the 
Committee on Standards of Official Conduct floor time for a bipartisan 
recommendation on book royalties; now unreasonable delays in making an 
important report public.
  We are watching the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct 
process completely degenerate.

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