Mike Thompson: “the amendment I am offering, with Senator Sessions and with the support of Chairman Roth, strikes the provision of title…”

“the amendment I am offering, with Senator Sessions and with the support of Chairman Roth, strikes the provision of title I of the bill which provides for a special waiver of the criminal conflict of interest laws for the employee organization representative on the newly organized oversight board. As chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee, I have a specific interest in the application of Government ethics laws and any waivers of these criminal statutes which might be granted to Federal employees. During markup of the measure, the Finance Committee adopted an amendment adding a member to the oversight board who would be a representative of an employee organization representing substantial numbers of IRS employees. However, because of the inherent conflict of interest in the new member's position, the committee adopted a subsequent amendment waiving four essential ethics laws as they would apply to this particular board member. It is this specific provision that I propose to strike.”