After a closed secret session last night, the House met again this morning (March 14) to debate an amendment to HR 3773. With a vote of 213-197, the measure passed and now will be sent back to the Senate. It is bound to face a lot of opposition in the Senate and unlikely to reach President Bush.

In December 2006, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission released a report on voter fraud - Election Crimes: An Initial Review and Recommendations for Future Study. The report caused a storm of controversy. Consultants who drafted the report alleged that the EAC had improperly edited the report without their permission. In response, EAC Chair Donetta Davis asked the EAC Inspector General to review the circumstances surrounding the publication of the report. This week, the OIG released its findings in response to Davis's request.

The Voter Education Committee (VEC), a 527 organization, has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a case that challenges the constitutionality of Washington state law requiring any organization found to support or oppose a candidate or ballot issue to register as a political committee and have their finances regulated. VEC wants review of a Washington state Supreme Court decision made last year that ruled that VEC should have registered as a political committee and did not find the definition of "political committee" to be constitutionally vague ( Voters Education Committee v.

With a vote of 229 to 182, the House passed H.Res. 895 to create a new independent panel, the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE). The new body will be able to initiate investigations of possible misconduct. Those who opposed creating the panel charged that it would encourage partisan complaints. After a proposal was pulled from the floor twice recently with clear bipartisan doubts, chairman of the ethics task force Representative Michael Capuano (D-MA) made changes to alleviate some concerns.