Apr 24, 2007 -- House Freshman Call for Tougher Ethics Enforcement: Statement of Meredith McGehee, Campaign Legal Center Policy Director

Recognizing the key role that congressional corruption played in the historic Democratic takeover in the November elections, 27 House freshmen wrote today to Chairman Michael Capuano (D-MA) and the Special Task Force on Ethics urging them to recommend changes that will build increased independence and professionalism into the ethics enforcement process.

Voters have lost faith in the congressional ethics process to the point where being cleared by the Ethics Committee no longer holds any water with the public. Former Members are being sent to jail for criminal conduct. Yet the Committee could not even be roused to issue so much as a slap on the wrist to the "see no evil" leadership that ignored for several years former Representative Mark Foley's disgraceful behavior with congressional pages. When that kind of behavior goes unpunished, even a full exoneration by the Ethics Committee is interpreted by the public as nothing more than the old boys' network covering up for its own. The creation of an Office of Public Integrity will begin to restore citizens' faith in the process.

We applaud Representatives Zack Space (D-OH) and Baron Hill (D-IN) for spearheading this effort to spur leadership to pass real ethics reform despite serious reluctance on the part of the old bulls. We join these freshmen in strongly urging the Task Force to recommend meaningful changes to begin fixing an ethics process that is badly broken.

Signers listed below:

Jason Altmire (PA)

Michael Arcuri (NY)

Nancy Boyda (KS)

Bruce Braley (IA)

Joe Courtney (CT)

Brad Ellsworth (IN)

Gabrielle Giffords (AZ)

Kirsten Gillibrand (NY)

John Hall (NY)

Phil Hare (IL)

Baron Hill (IN)

Paul Hodes (NH)

Steve Kagen (WI)

Rob Klein (FL)

Nick Lampson (TX)

David Loebsack (IA)

Tim Mahoney (FL)

Jerry McNerney (CA)

Christopher Murphy (CT)

Patrick Murphy (PA)

Ed Perlmutter (CO)

Carol Shea-Porter (NH)

Joe Sestak (PA)

Zack Space (OH)

Betty Sutton (OH)

Timothy Walz (MN)

John Yarmuth (KY)