Rep. Jeff Crank, R-Colo., introduced a resolution Wednesday aimed at tightening ethics rules for members of Congress by requiring lawmakers to confidentially disclose romantic relationships with staffers from other congressional offices or committees to the House Committee on Ethics.
The proposal would maintain the House’s existing prohibition on members engaging in relationships with their own staff or with staff assigned to committees on which they serve. In addition, Crank’s resolution would establish a disclosure requirement for relationships involving staffers employed by other House offices or committees.
Under the proposal, lawmakers would be required to notify the Ethics Committee if such a relationship exists. If the nature or circumstances of that relationship later change, members would also be required to provide prompt notification to the committee.
Current House rules already prohibit members from engaging in a “sexual relationship” with their own staff or with staff members serving on committees they oversee, with an exception for marriage. The House Code of Official Conduct also prohibits lawmakers from making unwelcome sexual advances or engaging in inappropriate conduct toward House employees.
However, the current code does not explicitly prohibit consensual relationships between members of Congress and staffers who work for other offices or committees.
In announcing the resolution, Crank said members of Congress should be expected to meet the highest ethical standards while serving in public office.
“We must recognize that as elected officials, we can have unbalanced influence over House employees, regardless of who they work for,” Crank said in a statement.
He added that the personal conduct of some lawmakers has damaged public confidence in both Congress and the legislative process.
“The personal conduct of some of my colleagues has undermined public trust in this institution, and the legislative process, and we must do better,” Crank said.
The resolution comes one day after Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., voiced support for prohibiting members of Congress from having romantic relationships with any Capitol Hill staffers, regardless of where they work.
Speaking at a press conference, Johnson said he could not see a situation where such relationships would be appropriate.
“I can’t believe it would be acceptable in any situation,” Johnson said, pointing to the supervisory relationship that often exists between lawmakers and congressional employees.
Johnson compared Congress to private-sector workplaces, saying many companies have similar policies governing workplace relationships.
“We should, at a bare minimum in Congress, have, you know, rules and traditions that are adhered to in corporate America,” he said. “So, that’s an easy one for me.”
The renewed focus on congressional ethics follows recent reports involving several current and former lawmakers.
Last week, the New York Post reported that Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., had consensual relationships with two aides to Texas Democrats during his time in the House while he was unmarried. Gallego dismissed the report, calling it “gossip.”
Last month, the Senate Ethics Committee dismissed a complaint filed against Gallego by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., alleging inappropriate advances toward several women and campaign finance violations.
Earlier this year, former Reps. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, resigned amid allegations involving improper relationships with staffers. One former staffer accused Swalwell of rape, an allegation he has denied. Gonzales acknowledged having an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide.
Following the New York Post report on Gallego, House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain, R-Mich., argued that Congress should prohibit lawmakers from dating any staff members.
“Even if a relationship is consensual, there is an inherent power imbalance that can undermine trust and create an appearance of impropriety,” McClain wrote on X, adding that the goal should be protecting staff while maintaining confidence in Congress.
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