Brooks named chair of House Ethics Committee

ANDERSON — Entering only her third term in the U.S. House, Rep. Susan Brooks is moving up the leadership ladder within the Republican Party majority.

Brooks, R-5th District, was named Thursday as Chairwoman of the House Committee on Ethics. She was also named as a member of the GOP Steering Committee that will assign Republicans to respective House committees for the next two years.

Brooks said in her new position as chairwoman, she will have a seat at the weekly leadership meetings of the U.S. House.

She said her background as U.S. Attorney in Indiana was a factor in her appointment.

“As an attorney there are ethics requirements to maintain a license to practice law and I have dealt with a lot of ethics issues,” Brooks said. “It’s like being in internal affairs with a police department. We set rules and standards for the House members.”

Brooks said as Chairwoman of the Ethics Commission, she will have a staff of up to 25 people, which dealt with 30,000 questions in the past year.

The goal is to increase transparency and accountability of Congress with the public, she said.

The Ethics Committee is responsible for setting and communicating the ethical rules and standards of the House of Representatives; offering current House members, officers and staff guidance and advice about how best to comply with the rules; conducting investigations into allegations of misconduct on the part of current House members, officers and employees; and reprimanding those who are found to have violated the House rules.

“Restoring confidence in Congress has been a goal of mine since the beginning of my Congressional service,” Brooks said. “With 2016 Congressional approval ratings hovering between 11 and 20 percent, transparent, responsible and ethical government is critical to rebuilding public trust and confidence in Congress.

“The House Committee on Ethics has an important role to play in holding members, officers and staff accountable to the American people and to our colleagues,” she added. “As Chairwoman, I am committed to holding our members to a high standard of conduct; to conducting fair investigations into allegations and questions brought before the Committee; and to effectively and transparently communicating the Congressional ethics rules and standards to members, staff and the American people.”

Brooks has served on the House Committee on Ethics since her first term.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, named Brooks to serve as the Speaker’s sole designee on the Republican Conference Steering Committee in the House of Representatives.

The Steering Committee is responsible for making committee assignments for Republican members of the House and selecting chairmen for each committee in the House.

“Advocating for my colleagues is a privilege, and it’s an honor to be selected by Speaker Ryan to serve on the Steering Committee in the next Congress,” Brooks said in a press release. “Each member of the House brings significant and unique expertise, experiences, interests and perspective to Congress and to their legislative work, and I want to make sure that each member can leverage the assets they bring in our committee work. I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues to make sure that we put the strengths of each member to work for the American people.”

The Steering Committee is made up of 31 members of the Republican Conference, including elected members of the leadership team, elected regional representatives, members representing Congressional classes, a Speaker’s designee, and a rotating seat for committee chairs.

The members selected will serve on the Steering Committee until the end of the 115th Congress.