[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 773-774]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           SELECT COMMITTEE ON ETHICS ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2015

  Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent, for myself as 
chairman of the Select Committee on Ethics and for Senator Boxer as 
vice chairman of the committee, that the Annual Report of the Select 
Committee on Ethics for calendar year 2015 be printed in the Record. 
The Committee issues this report today, January 28, 2016, as required 
by the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                                      U.S. Senate,


                                   Select Committee on Ethics,

                                 Washington, DC, January 28, 2016.


Annual Report of the Select Committee on Ethics 114th Congress, Second 
                                Session

       The Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 (the 
     ``Act'') calls for the Select Committee on Ethics of the 
     United States Senate to issue an annual report not later than 
     January 31st of each year providing information in certain 
     categories describing its activities for the preceding year. 
     Reported below is the information describing

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     the Committee's activities in 2015 in the categories set 
     forth in the Act:
       (1) The number of alleged violations of Senate rules 
     received from any source, including the number raised by a 
     Senator or staff of the Committee: 55. (In addition, 2 
     alleged violations from the previous year were carried into 
     2015.)
       (2) The number of alleged violations that were dismissed--
       (A) For lack of subject matter jurisdiction or in which, 
     even if the allegations in the complaint are true, no 
     violation of Senate rules would exist: 36.
       (B) Because they failed to provide sufficient facts as to 
     any material violation of the Senate rules beyond mere 
     allegation or assertion: 13.
       (3) The number of alleged violations for which the 
     Committee staff conducted a preliminary inquiry: 7. (This 
     figure includes 2 matters from the previous calendar year 
     carried into 2015.)
       (4) The number of alleged violations for which the 
     Committee staff conducted a preliminary inquiry that resulted 
     in an adjudicatory review: 0.
       (5) The number of alleged violations for which the 
     Committee staff conducted a preliminary inquiry and the 
     Committee dismissed the matter for lack of substantial merit 
     or because it was inadvertent, technical or otherwise of a de 
     minimis nature: 5.
       (6) The number of alleged violations for which the 
     Committee staff conducted a preliminary inquiry and the 
     Committee issued private or public letters of admonition: 0.
       (7) The number of matters resulting in a disciplinary 
     sanction: 0.
       (8) Any other information deemed by the Committee to be 
     appropriate to describe its activities in the previous year:
       In 2015, the Committee staff conducted seven new Member and 
     staff ethics training sessions; 20 Member and committee 
     office campaign briefings (includes one remedial training 
     session); 20 employee code of conduct training sessions; 13 
     public financial disclosure clinics, seminars, and webinars; 
     27 ethics seminars and customized briefings for Member DC 
     offices, state offices, and Senate committees; two private 
     sector ethics briefings; and five international briefings.
       In 2015, the Committee staff handled approximately 10,265 
     telephone inquiries and 2,784 inquiries by email for ethics 
     advice and guidance.
       In 2015, the Committee wrote approximately 930 ethics 
     advisory letters and responses including, but not limited to, 
     793 travel and gifts matters (Senate Rule 35) and 83 conflict 
     of interest matters (Senate Rule 37).
       In 2015, the Committee received 3,179 public financial 
     disclosure and periodic disclosure of financial transactions 
     reports.

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