Congressman Cole Votes to Support Bipartisan Compromise on House Ethics Rules

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Tom Cole voted today for a bipartisan compromise that should allow the House ethics committee to organize and begin its work. By an overwhelming vote, the House agreed to set aside changes in the ethics process agreed to earlier this year. With the passage of H. Res. 240, the House ethics committee will be governed by rules in effect since 1997.

"Although I still believe in the changes made to the rules of the House at the outset of the 109th Congress, I think it is more important for the institution to have a functioning Ethics Committee that can successfully organize and begin to discharge its duties," Congressman Tom Cole said.

The three changes repealed in today's vote—guaranteeing Members the right to be represented in front of the committee by counsel of their choice, ensuring Members' right to due process, and a rules change that forced the committee to act or dismiss a complaint within a specified time frame—would have increased the fairness of the ethics process for members of both parties.

"I commend Speaker Hastert for acting in good faith to break the deadlock over the ethics rules in the House. He has acted with great integrity throughout this entire process and I appreciate his leadership in this difficult matter," Congressman Cole said.

"Now that the House has decided to operate under the ethics rules of the 108th Congress, we need to move forward in a nonpartisan manner. Those that sought to politicize the ethics process should start putting the institution ahead of their partisan agenda" Congressman Tom Cole said.

Congressman Tom Cole is a member of the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, better known as the Ethics Committee.

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