NYT: House Speaker Suggests Ethics Refresher

[DeepModem Mom]

House Speaker Suggests Ethics Refresher
By CARL HULSE
Published: December 8, 2005


WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 - In a sign that Republican leaders are increasingly anxious about the image of the House after bribery convictions, Speaker J. Dennis Hastert raised the prospect on Wednesday of new ethics training for lawmakers.

House members and aides said Mr. Hastert broached the subject in a closed-door session with House Republicans while they discussed former Representative Randy Cunningham, the California Republican who pleaded guilty last week in an extensive corruption case that has stunned colleagues.

"The speaker wants members on both sides of the aisle to understand the nuances of House rules," Ron Bonjean, a spokesman for Mr. Hastert, said about the plan.

Mr. Hastert's proposal indicates that senior Republicans, who have previously dismissed criticism of House conduct and links to lobbyists as politically motivated, are taking the question more seriously.

While his proposal is preliminary, some Republicans applauded it. Representative Joel Hefley of Colorado, a former chairman of the ethics panel, said lawmakers' current hourlong orientation course on rules was not enough. Others said the rank-and-file had some strong sentiment that Republicans needed to make clear that they were for strict adherence to a code of conduct that builds confidence....


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/08/politics/08ethics.html