The D.C. Council recently reprimanded Jim Graham. But it still has an ethics problem. Its labyrinthine rules handicap its ability to impose more severe penalties when there is no recommendation from the Board of Ethics and Government Accountability.

Currently, absent an ethics board referral, five council members would have to request creation of an ad hoc committee to trigger the censure process. The chairman then would select a different set of five members to serve on that committee, which would decide whether to conduct an investigation that could include a public hearing. Only after that could the legislature vote to censure or expel a member.

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