Boswell expects vote to reverse ethics rules

Iowa Congressman Leonard Boswell says it appears the House may vote to reverse new ethics rules. He says they heard last night that they’ve decided to reverse the rules. Democrats say Republicans forced the changes this year to protect Majority Leader Tom DeLay. The most controversial of the rules changes created a system under which an ethics complaint would automatically be dismissed unless a majority of the panel voted to act on it within 45 days. Boswell, who is a democrat, says he favors overturning the new rules. He says the ethics committee should be bipartisan and balanced and he says any charges against DeLay or anyone else shouldn’t be allowed to die on the vine because the committee isn’t acting. He says the committee should act and go back to the rules that were working. Democrats had blocked the committee from taking action in retaliation for the rules changes.