USC Subchapter II

2 U.S.C. § 4711 Committee on Standards of Official Conduct of House of Representatives

(a) Omitted (b) Committee compositionThe respective party caucus or conference of the House of Representatives shall each nominate to the House of Representatives at the beginning of each Congress 7 members to serve on the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. (c) Investigative subcommitteesThe Committee on Standards of Official Conduct shall adopt rules providing—(1) for the establishment of a 4 or 6-member investigative subcommittee (with equal representation from the majority and minority parties) whenever the committee votes to undertake any investigation; (2) that the senior majority and minority members on an investigative subcommittee shall serve as the chairman and ranking minority member of the subcommittee; and (3) that the chairman and ranking minority member of the full committee may only serve as non-voting, ex officio members on an investigative subcommittee. Clause 5(d) of rule XI 11 See References in Text note below. of the Rules of the House of Representatives shall not apply to any investigative subcommittee. (d) Adjudicatory subcommitteesThe Committee on Standards of Official Conduct shall adopt rules providing—(1) that upon the completion of an investigation, an investigative subcommittee shall report its findings and recommendations to the committee; (2) that, if an investigative subcommittee by majority vote of its membership adopts a statement of alleged violation, the remaining members of the committee shall comprise an adjudicatory subcommittee to hold a disciplinary hearing on the violation alleged in the statement; (3) that any statement of alleged violation and any written response thereto shall be made public at the first meeting or hearing on the matter which is open to the public after the respondent has been given full opportunity to respond to the statement in accordance with committee rules, but, if no public hearing or meeting is held on the matter, the statement of alleged violation and any written response thereto shall be included in the committee’s final report to the House of Representatives as required by clause 4(e)(1)(B) of rule X 1 of the Rules of the House of Representatives; (4) that a quorum for an adjudicatory subcommittee for the purpose of taking testimony and conducting any business shall consist of a majority of the membership of the subcommittee plus one; and (5) that an adjudicatory subcommittee shall determine, after receiving evidence, whether the counts in the statement have been proved and shall report its findings to the committee. Clause 5(d) of rule XI 1 of the Rules of the House of Representatives shall not apply to any adjudicatory subcommittee. (e) to (h) Omitted (i) Advice and education(1) The Committee on Standards of Official Conduct shall establish within the committee an Office on Advice and Education (hereinafter in this subsection referred to as the “Office”) under the supervision of the chairman. (2) The Office shall be headed by a director who shall be appointed by the chairman, in consultation with the ranking minority member, and shall be comprised of such staff as the chairman determines is necessary to carry out the responsibilities of the Office. (3) The primary responsibilities of the Office shall include:(A) Providing information and guidance to Members, officers and employees of the House regarding any laws, rules, regulations, and other standards of conduct applicable to such individuals in their official capacities, and any interpretations and advisory opinions of the committee. (B) Submitting to the chairman and ranking minority member of the committee any written request from any such Member, officer or employee for an interpretation of applicable laws, rules, regulations, or other standards of conduct, together with any recommendations thereon. (C) Recommending to the committee for its consideration formal advisory opinions of general applicability. (D) Developing and carrying out, subject to the approval of the chairman, periodic educational briefings for Members, officers and employees of the House on those laws, rules, regulations, or other standards of conduct applicable to them. (4) No information provided to the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct by a Member, officer or employee of the House of Representatives when seeking advice regarding prospective conduct of such Member, officer or employee may be used as the basis for initiating an investigation under clause 4(e)(1)(B) of rule X 1 of the Rules of the House of Representatives, if such Member, officer or employee acts in accordance with the written advice of the committee. (j) Effective dateThis section shall take effect immediately before noon January 3, 1991, except that subsections (g), (h), and (i) shall take effect on January 1, 1990.

2 U.S.C. § 4712 Posting of travel and financial disclosure reports on public website of Clerk of the House of Representatives

(a) Requiring posting on InternetThe Clerk of the House of Representatives shall post on the public Internet site of the Office of the Clerk, in a format that is searchable, sortable, and downloadable, to the extent technically practicable, each of the following:(1) The advance authorizations, certifications, and disclosures filed with respect to transportation, lodging, and related expenses for travel under clause 5(b) of rule XXV of the Rules of the House of Representatives by Members (including Delegates and Resident Commissioners to the Congress), officers, and employees of the House. (2) The reports filed under section 13105(h)(1) of title 5 by Members of the House of Representatives (including Delegates and Resident Commissioners to the Congress). (b) Applicability and timing(1) ApplicabilitySubject to paragraph (2), subsection (a) shall apply with respect to information received by the Clerk of the House of Representatives on or after September 14, 2007. (2) TimingThe Clerk of the House of Representatives shall—(A) not later than August 1, 2008, post the information required by subsection (a) that the Clerk receives by June 1, 2008; and (B) not later than the end of each 45-day period occurring after information is required to be posted under subparagraph (A), post the information required by subsection (a) that the Clerk has received since the last posting under this subsection. (3) Omission of personally identifiable informationMembers of the House of Representatives (including Delegates and Resident Commissioners to the Congress) shall be permitted to omit personally identifiable information not required to be disclosed on the reports posted on the public Internet site under this section (such as home address, Social Security numbers, personal bank account numbers, home telephone, and names of children) prior to the posting of such reports on such public Internet site. (4) Assistance in protecting personal informationThe Clerk of the House of Representatives, in consultation with the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, shall include in any informational materials concerning any disclosure that will be posted on the public Internet site under this section an explanation of the procedures for protecting personally identifiable information as described in this section. (c) RetentionThe Clerk shall maintain the information posted on the public Internet site of the Office of the Clerk under this section for a period of 6 years after receiving the information, or, in the case of reports filed under section 13105(h)(1) of title 5, until the expiration of the 6-year period which begins on the date the individual is no longer a Member of Congress.

2 U.S.C. § 4713 Reporting payments made to witnesses before Committee on Standards of Official Conduct

Notwithstanding any other provision of law or any other rule or regulation, any information on payments made by the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct of the House of Representatives to an individual for attendance as a witness before the Committee in executive session during a Congress shall be reported not later than the second semiannual report filed under section 5535 of this title in the following Congress.