; (2) in the case of a covered employee of an employing office of the House of Representatives or Senate, to refer information regarding an alleged violation of part A of title II to the Committee on Ethics of the House of Representatives or the Select Committee on Ethics of the Senate (as the case may be); or (3) to file a civil action in accordance with section 401(b). . (b) Clerical amendment The table of contents is amended by amending the item relating to section 402 to read as follows: Sec. 402. Initiation of procedures. . 103. Investigation of claims by General Counsel (a) Investigations described Title IV ( 2 U.S.C. 1401 et seq.), as amended by section 101(d), is further amended by inserting after section 402 the following new section: 403. Investigation of claims (a) Investigation Upon the completion of the initial processing of a claim under section 402(b), the General Counsel shall conduct an investigation of the claim involved. (b) Subpoenas To carry out an investigation under this section, the General Counsel may issue subpoenas in the same manner, and subject to the same terms and conditions, as a hearing officer may issue subpoenas to carry out discovery with respect to a hearing under section 405, except that the General Counsel may issue such a subpoena on the General Counsel’s own initiative, without regard to whether or not a party requests that the General Counsel issue the subpoena. It is the sense of Congress that the General Counsel should issue subpoenas under this subsection only to the extent that other methods of obtaining information with respect to an investigation are insufficient to enable the General Counsel to conclude the investigation within the deadline described in subsection (e). (c) Report