Rep. Crank Introduces Resolution to Restore Integrity and Protect Congressional Staff

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Representative Jeff Crank (CO-05) introduced. H.Res. 1443, a resolution to strengthen the House of Representatives' ethics rules by prohibiting Members of the U.S. House of Representatives from engaging in sexual relationships with any House employee, unless the relationship is first disclosed to the House Ethics Committee.

The current Code of Official Conduct only prohibits Members from having a relationship with staff directly under their supervision, but does not apply to relationships between Members and other House employees. There is an imbalance of power between members of Congress and staff, and this resolution will establish additional guardrails to protect congressional staff from an abuse of that power.

"I firmly believe that Members of Congress should be held to the highest standard," said Rep. Crank. "We must recognize that as elected officials, we can have unbalanced influence over House employees, regardless of who they work for. The personal conduct of some of my colleagues has undermined public trust in this institution, and the legislative process, and we must do better."

Background:

The resolution would ensure that all Member-employee relationships are subject to appropriate ethical review and that the House maintains the highest standards of accountability and public trust.

• Upholds the existing ban under House Rules for any relationship involving a Member's own supervised staff or committee staff;
• Requires confidential disclosure to the Committee on Ethics for any other Member-staff relationship, closing a gap where such relationships currently face no institutional review at all; and
• Requires Members to promptly notify the Committee of any change in circumstances affecting a disclosed relationship.