Feb 16, 2006 -- Statement of Meredith McGehee on Shays-Meehan Bill to Establish an Office of Public Integrity in Congress

The Campaign Legal Center commends Representatives Christopher Shays (R-CT) and Martin Meehan (D-MA) for introducing bipartisan legislation today to establish an Office of Public Integrity in Congress to enforce ethics rules and lobbying laws. The Office would be responsible for investigating possible ethics violations of members and presenting probable violations to the congressional ethics committees.

Public faith in the integrity of the national government is fundamental to our system of representative democracy. If government institutions are to command the respect, trust and confidence of the American people, the individuals who serve in those institutions must operate - and be perceived as operating - according to the highest standards of ethical conduct. Nowhere is this more important than in Congress.

To meet this challenge, the Congress must first have clear rules that set high standards for its Members. As important as the rules are, however, they are not enough. Without effective enforcement and oversight, even the best rules are rendered meaningless. The Shays-Meehan bill appropriately addresses the fundamental need for Members of Congress to be held accountable in maintaining the highest ethical standard the institution, and the people they represent, deserve. A single administrator model assures accountability in effective ethics enforcement. It also provides the best balance between an independent ethics process and Congress's constitutional responsibility to discipline its members.

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