On March 29, 2012, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) called on the Senate Select Committee on Ethics to investigate the conduct of Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN). Recent reports indicate Sen. Lugar violated Senate rules by improperly using Senate funds to pay for hotel expenses in Indiana during Senate adjournments and August recesses between 1991 and 2011. Senate travel regulations limit the expenses for travel related to official business that members may be reimbursed for with Senate funds. The rules senators must follow, including reimbursement guidelines, are set out in the U.S. Senate Handbook, published by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. Oddly, while the Senate Ethics Manual is publicly available, the Senate Handbook is not. In contrast, the House Committee on Administration posts the House Handbook on its website. Accordingly, CREW also sent a letter to Senate Rules Committee Chairman Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Ranking Member Lamar Alexander (R-TN) requesting that the Senate Handbook be posted online and made available upon request.
On March 29, 2012, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) called on the Senate Select Committee on Ethics to investigate the conduct of Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN). Recent reports indicate Sen. Lugar violated Senate rules by improperly using Senate funds to pay for hotel expenses in Indiana during Senate adjournments and August recesses between 1991 and 2011. Senate travel regulations limit the expenses for travel related to official business that members may be reimbursed for with Senate funds. The rules senators must follow, including reimbursement guidelines, are set out in the U.S. Senate Handbook, published by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. Oddly, while the Senate Ethics Manual is publicly available, the Senate Handbook is not. In contrast, the House Committee on Administration posts the House Handbook on its website. Accordingly, CREW also sent a letter to Senate Rules Committee Chairman Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Ranking Member Lamar Alexander (R-TN) requesting that the Senate Handbook be posted online and made available upon request.
On March 29, 2012, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) called on the Senate Select Committee on Ethics to investigate the conduct of Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN). Recent reports indicate Sen. Lugar violated Senate rules by improperly using Senate funds to pay for hotel expenses in Indiana during Senate adjournments and August recesses between 1991 and 2011. Senate travel regulations limit the expenses for travel related to official business that members may be reimbursed for with Senate funds. The rules senators must follow, including reimbursement guidelines, are set out in the U.S. Senate Handbook, published by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. Oddly, while the Senate Ethics Manual is publicly available, the Senate Handbook is not. In contrast, the House Committee on Administration posts the House Handbook on its website. Accordingly, CREW also sent a letter to Senate Rules Committee Chairman Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Ranking Member Lamar Alexander (R-TN) requesting that the Senate Handbook be posted online and made available upon request.