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This bill — the CLEAN Act — would make the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) a permanent body, protecting it from politically motivated changes and giving it the tools it needs (including subpoena power equivalent to a House standing committee) to investigate ethics violations by members of Congress.

Under this bill, the OCE would 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.

This bill would lift the prohibition on members of the OCE board serving more than four consecutive Congresses, and would allow individuals appointed for the remainder of a Congress to be reappointed for a second additional term of two Congresses.

This bill would establish a process for informing individuals who are subjects of a preliminary review or second-phase review by the OCE of their right to be represented by counsel. Invocation of that right should not be held negatively against them in OCE proceedings.

Currently, the OCE needs to be renewed every two years through a Rules package.

This bill’s full title is the Clean Legislating and Ethical Accountability Now Act.

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Should the Office of Congressional Ethics be Made Permanent?