House To Further Erode Ethical Standards

A couple of days ago we quoted reports that the House GOP leadership is considering the removal of the chairman of the Ethics Committee for (shocking!) trying to hold Tom DeLay to ethical standards of behavior. Now they plan on changing House rules to further relax ethical standards. Proposed rule changes include:

• Eliminate the rule of conduct that allows penalizing members for behavior which brings discredit upon the House even if their behavior is not covered by a specific regulation. (This regulation is important as the House's conduct code cannot anticpate every possible type of questionable behavior by members of Congress.)
  
• Relaxation of restrictions on relatives of Congressmen to accept foreign and domestic trips from groups interested in legislation before the House.
• Allow either party to stop the House ethics committee from investigating a complaint against a member.