D21 Joins In Urging House Leaders To Approve OCC Board Overseeing House Ethics
Democracy 21 joined with Campaign Legal Center and 18 other good government partners to urge U.S. Representatives to approve the board of the Office of Congressional Conduct (OCC) so that the House of Representatives can conduct investigations and review allegations of misconduct.
As Roll Call recently pointed out, House leaders have yet to appoint members to the OCC, “hamstringing the ethics office and its mission.”
“For the first time in the OCC’s history, it cannot take any action to fulfill its mission of reviewing allegations of misconduct,” the organizations wrote in a letter to House Members. “We write to raise alarm that this has effectively closed the office and ended its work protecting the public interest through independent, nonpartisan ethics oversight of the House of Representatives.”
As the organizations pointed out in their letter: “When elected officials are credibly accused of unethical, corrupt, or illegal acts, the public has the right to know that such allegations will be investigated, and ultimately what the investigation shows. The OCC’s ability to operate is crucial for maintaining independent and nonpartisan ethics oversight that benefits both Members of Congress and the public.”
