This bill would make House Resolution 895 (which created the Office of Congressional Ethics) permanent law with specific rules. It treats the Office as a standing committee for one part of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946. It says references to the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct should be read as references to the Committee on Ethics. It limits each board member to no more than four 2‑year terms and requires any board vacancy to be filled within 60 days. If a vacancy is not filled by that deadline, the board can keep working unless there are fewer than three members. Any member currently serving beyond the new term limit must be removed within 30 days of the law taking effect. People who are the subject of a preliminary or second‑phase review must be informed they have a right to be represented by counsel and invoking that right may not be held against them. The Office may not take any action that would deny a person any right or protection under the U.S. Constitution.
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Sponsors introduced this bill to make the Office of Congressional Ethics permanent and to set rules on board term limits, vacancy deadlines, and review procedures. Sponsors listed include Chris Pappas, Pat Harrigan, Maggie Goodlander, and Brian Fitzpatrick.
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