CLEAN Act

Clean Legislating and Ethical Accountability Now Act or the CLEAN Act

This bill enacts H.Res. 895, 110th Congress (establishing the Office of Congressional Ethics [OCE]) into permanent law, except that:

• the OCE shall be treated as a standing House committee for purposes of procuring the temporary or intermittent services of individual consultants or organizations to study or advise the OCE on matters within its jurisdiction or on its administration of affairs,
• references to the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct shall be construed to be references to the House Committee on Ethics,
• the prohibition on members of the OCE board serving more than four consecutive Congresses shall not apply,
• individuals appointed for the remainder of a Congress may be reappointed for a second additional term of two Congresses,
• individuals who are subjects of a preliminary review or second-phase review by the board shall be informed of the right to be represented by counsel, and invoking that right should not be held negatively against them,
• the OCE may not take actions that would deny persons rights or protection provided under the Constitution; and
• the OCE shall have the same subpoena power as a House standing committee.