house ethics rules

Examples of house ethics rules in the following topics:

• Lobbying Scandals and the Reforms of 2007

  • Prohibits senior House staff from lobbying their former office or committee for one year after they leave House employment.
  • Prohibits lobbyists from providing gifts or travel to members of Congress with knowledge that the gift or travel is in violation of House or Senate rules.
  • Requires lobbyists to certify they have not given gifts or travel that would violate Senate or House rules.
  • Unlike previous lobbying regulations, the 2007 reforms also made an attempt to amend House ethics rules in the following ways:
  • Describe the rules that the Honest Leadership and Open Government act put in place to regulate lobbying

• Obama vs. the Lobbyists?

  • Early in his presidency, Obama said "[lobbyists] won't find a job in my White House," but softened his stance later in the campaign.
  • Early in his presidential campaign, Obama stated that "they [lobbyists] won't find a job in my White House", but softened his stance later in the campaign.
  • The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington have criticized the administration, claiming that Obama is retreating from his own ethics rules barring lobbyists from working on the issues about which they lobbied during the previous two years by issuing waivers.
  • Starting his presidential years as an outspoken advocate of lobbying regulation, President Obama's actions in relation to lobbying have led some to believe that he has not lived up to the high ethical standards that he set out for himself.

• The Staff System

  • Majority and minority members hire their own staff, with the exception of two committees in each house: the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in the House, and the Select Committee on Ethics and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in the Senate.
  • In 2000, House committees had an average of 68 staff, and Senate committees an average of 46.
  • The Russell Senate Office Building houses several Congressional staff members, including those on the United States Senate Committees on Armed Services, Rules and Administration, Veterans' Affairs, and others.

• Conference Committee

  • House rules require that one conference meeting be open to the public, unless the house, in open session, votes that a meeting will be closed to the public.
  • House and Senate rules forbid Conferees from inserting into their report matter not committed to them by either house, but conference committees sometimes do introduce new matter.
  • In such a case, the rules of each house provide that a Member may object through a point of order, although each house has procedures under which it can vote to waive the point of order.
  • If the objection was well founded, the Presiding Officer ruled and a Senator could appeal the ruling of the Chair.
  • If the appeal was sustained by a majority of the Senate, it had precedential effect, eroding the rule on the scope of conference committees.

• Regulating Congressional Lobbyists

  • The rules often specify how much a lobbyist can spend on specific activities, and how to report expenses.
  • Sorting out these issues can pose ethical challenges.
  • People paid to lobby must register with the secretary of the Senate and the clerk of the House of Representatives within 45 days of contacting a legislator for the first time, or 45 days after being employed.
  • Requirements for registering also apply to companies that specialize in lobbying, or ones that have an in-house lobbyist, particularly if they spend more than $11,500 on lobbying.
  • The resulting Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act (1946) governed lobbying rules up until 1995 when the Lobbying Disclosure Act replaced it.

• Party Leadership in the House

  • The current House Majority Leader is Republican Kevin McCarthy, while the current House Minority Leader is Democrat Nancy Pelosi.
  • The current House Majority Whip is Republican Steve Scales, while the current House Minority Whip is Democrat Steny Hoyer.
  • The House Majority Leader's duties and prominence vary depending upon the style and power of the Speaker of the House.
  • The Speaker may designate any member of the House to act as Speaker pro tempore and preside over the House.
  • At other times, more junior members may be assigned to preside to give them experience with the rules and procedures of the House.

• The House and the Senate: Differences in Responsibilities and Representation

  • The only constitutional rule relating to the size of the House reads, "The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand.
  • Congress regularly increased the size of the House to account for population growth until it fixed the number of voting House members at 435 in 1911.
  • Moreover, the procedure of the House depends not only on the rules, but also on a variety of customs, precedents, and traditions.
  • In many cases, the House waives some of its stricter rules (including time limits on debates) by unanimous consent.
  • Compare and contrast the structure and composition of the House and Senate

• The Conflict-Resolution Function

  • Any member of either house may introduce bills.
  • The House has 20 standing committees; the Senate has 16.
  • It begins with an enacting formula such as "Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled. " Consideration of a bill requires, itself, a rule which is a simple resolution specifying the particulars of debate—time limits, possibility of further amendments, and such.
  • The house may debate and amend the bill.
  • The House Financial Services Committee meets.

• Candidates for Congressional Elections

  • Congressional elections determine the structure and makeup of the House of Representatives and Senate.
  • Due to gerrymandering, fewer than 10% of all House seats are contested in each election cycle.
  • Ballot access rules for independent and minor party candidates vary from state to state.
  • House elections are first-past-the-post elections that elect a Representative from each of 435 House districts which cover the United States.
  • Describe the relationship between House elections and the Presidential term cycle

• Committee Deliberation

  • It adopts elements of both consensus decision-making and majority rule.
  • The House has twenty standing committees; the Senate has sixteen.
  • A bill which reaches the floor of the full house can be simple or complex and begins with an enacting formula such as "Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled. " Consideration of a bill requires, itself, a rule which is a simple resolution specifying the particulars of debate—time limits, possibility of further amendments, and such.
  • The house may debate and amend the bill; the precise procedures used by the House and Senate differ.
  • However, the rules of each house assume that a quorum is present unless a quorum call demonstrates the contrary.