WASHINGTON, July 24 /EMWNews/ -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi and

House Republican Leader John Boehner today announced joint appointments to

the board of the new Office of Congressional Ethics. With these

appointments, for the first time in the history of the House, private

citizens will be entrusted with an active role in the ethics enforcement

process.



    The Office of Congressional Ethics is intended to supplement the work

of the Ethics Committee and congressional leaders expect the two bodies to

work together effectively.



    "The new Office of Congressional Ethics is essential to an effective

ethics process in the House," said Speaker Pelosi. "This bipartisan board

of outside experts who will be charged with reviewing allegations of

misconduct and making recommendations to the House Ethics Committee. With

the creation of the Office of Congressional Ethics, we bring a new element

of transparency and accountability to the ethics process."



    "I am pleased that this distinguished group of individuals has agreed

to serve," said Leader Boehner. "The American people have every right to

expect the highest ethical standards in the people's House - and these

widely respected men and women should be applauded for the considerable

personal sacrifices they are making to help achieve that important goal."



    The board members of the Office of Congressional Ethics are equally

divided among Democrats and Republicans, with each party having three

members and one alternate. The eight members of the board are:



    -- Former Congressman David Skaggs, D-Colo., Chairman



    -- Former CIA Director and former Congressman Porter J. Goss, R-Fla,

Co-Chairman



    -- Former Congresswoman Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, D-Calif.



    -- Former House Chief Administrative officer Jay Eagen



    -- Former Congresswoman Karan English, D-Ariz.



    -- George Mason University Law Professor and former chief of staff of

Federal Election Commission, Allison Hayward



    -- Former Federal Judge and former Congressman Abner Mikva, D-Ill.,

Alternate



    -- Former Congressman Bill Frenzel, R-Minn., Alternate