	Introduction

To ensure that Members of Congress uphold high standards, the U.S. Constitution provides sole authority to establish rules and punish and expel Members to the House of Representatives and the Senate, respectively. This report examines the history and evolution of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics, including the committee's jurisdiction and investigative procedure. Additionally, the Committee on Rules and Administration considered the creation of a separate ethics committee. In 1958, Congress established the first Code of Ethics for Government Service (Code of Ethics). The Select Committee reported a resolution ( S.Res. Current Jurisdiction

Pursuant to changes made since 1977, the Select Committee on Ethics currently has jurisdiction over the following areas:
1. receive complaints and investigate allegations of improper conduct which may reflect upon the Senate, violations of law, violations of the Senate Code of Official Conduct, and violations of rules and regulations of the Senate, relating to the conduct of individuals in the performance of their duties as Members of the Senate, or as officers or employees of the Senate, and to make appropriate findings of fact and conclusions with respect thereto; 2. recommend, when appropriate, disciplinary action against Members and staff; 3. recommend rules or regulations necessary to insure appropriate Senate standards of conduct; 4. report violations of any law to the proper Federal and State authorities; 5. regulate the use of the franking privilege in the Senate; 6. investigate unauthorized disclosures of intelligence information; 7. implement the Senate public financial disclosure requirements of the Ethics in Government Act; 8. regulate the receipt and disposition of gifts from foreign governments received by Members, officers, and employees of the Senate; 9. render advisory opinions on the application of Senate rules and laws to Members, officers, and employees; 10. for complaints filed under the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991 respecting conduct occurring prior to January 23, 1996, review, upon request, any decision of the Senate Office of Fair Employment Practices; 11. develop and implement programs for Members, officers, and employees to educate them about standards of conduct applicable in the performance of their official duties; 12. Membership on the Senate Select Committee on Standards and Conduct, 1965-1976
Created in the 89 th Congress (1965-1966), a total of 14 Senators served on the Senate Select Committee on Standards and Conduct prior to its being disbanded with the creation of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics in the 95 th Congress (1977-1978).
The U.S. Constitution provides each House of Congress with the sole authority to establish rules and punish and expel Members. From 1789 to 1964, the Senate dealt individually with cases of disciplinary action against Members, often forming ad hoc committees to investigate and make recommendations when acts of wrongdoing were brought to the chamber's attention. Events of the 1960s, including the investigation of Secretary to the Majority Robert G. "Bobby" Baker, for alleged corruption and influence peddling, prompted the creation of a permanent ethics committee and the writing of a Code of Conduct for Members, officers, and staff of the Senate.
The Senate Select Committee on Ethics was first established in 1964. This bipartisan, six-member committee investigates alleged violations of the rules of the Senate and recommends disciplinary actions. In the 95th Congress (1977-1978), the Senate expanded the committee's jurisdiction and altered its procedures to implement revisions to the Senate Code of Official Conduct. Also, to reflect these changes the committee was renamed the Select Committee on Ethics.
This report briefly outlines the background of ethics enforcement in the Senate, including the creation of the Select Committee on Standards and Conduct and the subsequent renaming of the committee as the Select Committee on Ethics. The report also provides a brief overview of the Senate Code of Conduct and on the Select Committee's current jurisdiction and procedures.
For additional information on ethics in the Senate, please see CRS Report RL30764, Enforcement of Congressional Rules of Conduct: A Historical Overview, by Jacob R. Straus.